


The King and His King

by annplanet



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Alec doesn't know what he is doing, Also Magical, Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Angst, Arranged Marriage, Attempt at Humor, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Humor, Isabelle glides in heels, Just learning, M/M, Magnus is one powerful beauty, Malec should be added to our history books, Oops, Slow Burn, a less annoying version of Clary, a trial story to see how to better my writing, and ALWAYS will stay at the back, he is going with the flow, i don't know what did I do, jodha akbar AU, oh wait he just realized something, this story is not one hundred percent accurate to the movie nor the the real life story, your 'fave' sebastian is at the back
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-02
Updated: 2017-12-18
Packaged: 2018-10-26 23:32:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 72,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10797057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annplanet/pseuds/annplanet
Summary: Magnus Bane, the king of the Downworld, is faced with the hard choice of selling the little freedom he had, by marrying a Nephilim to strengthen his political connections.Alec Lightwood is the potential future Head of the New York Institute, though is faced with doubts of whether he will ever inherit the position from his parents.Together, could they achieve their dreams and desires without feeling anything intense for each other?~~or a Jodha Akbar AU THAT I ASKED FOR.But could be viewed as an Arranged marriage AU too.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys!  
> Please forgive me for what I just typed and made you read. I am currently looking for a Beta who could help me write all of this. So if anyone wants to volunteer, please contact me on my Tumblr which I will mention at the end.  
> Constructive criticism is genuinely appreciated by me. In this chapter, Alec and Magnus don't meet yet, but a basic introduction is given about them.  
> Here is a song that gives me KING MAGNUS vibes. Carry your throne by Jon bellion. I may add some Hindi songs to the playlist as we go on with this story.  
> So go ahead, read my embarrassment please. And again, please correct me wherever I am wrong, I would love to learn.

**Chapter 1**

Magnus Bane had an odd childhood. After all, losing his father to war caused by a mad men can ever been considered as an event of casualty.  

Magnus didn't remember the events of the war whenever asked him any question about it. He had only been to one battle and that was the one his father had died. Though his mind was always fuzzy around the subject of that battle, his mind while dreaming seemed to have a photographic memory. For since the morning of the battle, till the present day, he still had nightmares of his late father, passing away, without hearing any last words from his own son.

Magnus had never been able to see his father's dead body up close. He didn't even attend the funeral, in fear that something else would've been invoked inside of him if he had. After the war, he had never felt the same again. There was a... deadweight set against his heart, that held him down, oppressed him, demolished his childishness.

The childishness that he never got to experience as a normal kid. The childishness which did not span to its true potential. The fate of the Downworld had seen to that.

The Downworld, was collective term for a society of all half demonic creature, spanning over the entire world. Magnus rules the kingdom of Downworlders on  the continent he was born in. Though he was Asian origin, since his mother was born in Indonesia  (but moved to America soon after a traumatic experience), he was born America, raised in the mountains where his castle was built, hidden under a shield that wards off any enemy. His kingdom was scattered all over the continent, but his castle played an important role as the centre of it all.

 The existence of warlocks, vampires, werewolves and seelies were introduced to him the minute he was born. As a child, he had never seen a problem with his demonic origin though he had no idea from where he got his blood. He never dared ask his father, for he was always busy and temperamental. His mother would just tense up every time he brought it up,, causing him to give up from his right to search for the truth of himself.

Magnus at times, cursed at his father for dying so early and leaving the responsibility of the kingdom to him. He cursed the fact that had to fix all the mess his father had made due to bad judgments and carelessness. He cursed his mom for killing herself a year later his father had died, when he needed her to most. When he needed his mother's support the most and yet, she killed herself to reunite with his father when he never even treated right.

It was messed up at how Magnus knew that even at a young age. He saw his mother being dragged around by his father, scolded, slapped and degraded. He saw the pity looks he got from the servants whenever an episode like that occurred in front of him. He remembered fighting back his tears once, and taking a sword from a knight which was too heavy for him, causing him to stumble as he rushed to his father's room to after hearing what he was yelling at his mother. The knight had soon found out that Magnus had taken the sword and stopped him before causing an episode himself.

He vowed from that day that he would never mourn for his father, should he have to ever die.

But, a sickest part of him, did.

He remembered the day so clearly, when his father had come into his room to drag him off to war.

**_~~~ Flashback~~~_ **

_King Asmodeus entered Magnus, his son's chamber while he waiting breakfast at bed, to offer (more like command) him to observe the war he was engaging in from a distance. Magnus just stared at his father with his mouth open, his chubby cheeks pale and his eyes blinking like as if his father was blowing air from his own mouth into his cat eyes. His expression became even more dumbfounded when his father said the encounter was to happen at the very same afternoon._

_Of course Magnus felt that something for sure was going to go wrong in the war. He knew his life was going to change. But he also knew that there was nothing he could do. Every attempt to convince his father would just ended up as wasted effort. In response to his father's intense stare, fixed his own expression when his father's usual frown was deepening and just quietly nodded._

_Once he was forced into an armor suit that was custom made for his small size only (as he was just nine years old at the time), he was led to the hallway where his father and the General of their army, Ragnor Fell, were standing. They seem to be in a heated discussion. Usually General Fell would just listen to King Asmodeus' commands with a silent and courteous nod. But that day, he seemed very reluctant in following the recluse King's order._

_"It is completely unethical for me to stand at a distance and just see my own soldiers die in cold blood," Ragnor had hissed at the King. He had tried to keep his volume very low but only partially succeeded. "This is my job! I always fight alongside with my soldiers." He had pointed at himself, near his heart with his index finger_. " ** _It is my duty_**!"

_"You duty is also to serve me," the King had said coldly. His eyes were void but at the same time very determined and headstrong.  "Besides," He put his arm around Magnus' shoulders, who was standing beside him, hearing the entire exchange with wide eyes. "You don't want to see your future King get slaughtered due to your so called 'loyalty' towards your soldiers, who I believe-" The king squeezed Magnus' shoulders tightly. "-have signed up to fight and die for the greater good here."_

_Both Ragnor and Magnus had flinched at the end of Asmodeus' "voice of reason"_

_Ragnor just looked back forth between the heartless and reckless King and the frightened and unprepared future King. He eventually had nodded at the King's request which Magnus was not aware of until he arrived at the battlefield. A camp was set up, a few miles away from the warzone but still had a decent and clear view of the happenings of the war. Magnus was surprised that Ragnor and along with a few other trained bodyguards stood by his side and observed the terrible scene with him._ **_That_** _is why Ragnor was being bitter about missing all the action. He was instructed to look after Magnus while his father was doing god-know-what at a god-knows-what war._

_The war was about happen in a desert-like region and the camp was planted on a huge flat rock. Yet, Magnus did not feel warm, even under the metallic hot armor. He was shivering with anxiety and apprehension at the sight of two parties taking their sides opposite of each other, getting into their positions. He could see his father, mounted on a black horse that looked exactly like the older version of the pony Magnus got for his ninth birthday._

_"The Circle," Ragnor had muttered bitterly, helping Magnus assume that that was the name of the opposing army. Ragnor had his arms in the front holding his palms tightly that even Magnus could see the ceasing of the blood circulation in them. "The exiled Nephilim group that just want to see us Downworlders dead." Ragnor let out a bitter scoffed and smirked. His warlock mark, which were a pair of horns, shone menacingly in the bright rays of the Sun._

_"Those Shadowhunters were well aware of the bloody opposition among them. Yet they did nothing. They didn't even raise a_ **_finge_** _r_ to stop them from harming our peaceful treaty." Ragnor spat on the spot next him and then let out a dark chuckle. "Shows exactly how they feel about our kind."

_Magnus looked at him blankly and then turned his gaze towards the battlefield. His father was yelling something to the soldiers which sounded like words of encouragement and advice. All Magnus heard through the harsh winds were 'victory' and 'we deserve it'._

_The next ten minutes were of silence. The sort of silence that drove you insane and so something reckless to get rid of it. Anything to stop the world from ceasing for a moment with that silence. And it seemed like both sides were waiting which one would show a weak spot. Magnus could feel Death watching over the area like a greedy eagle, ready to grab the misery, despair and pain. Magnus for a second felt like yelling at them that none of this is worth it, that everything could be solved if they just spoke civilly. But he knew that his words would not reach them and also Ragnor would force his knuckle into his mouth to shut him up._

_"Is that Valentine?" One of the bodyguards spoke, with fear and awe._

_"Aye," Ragnor replied, his gaze going towards the Circle's leader, bowing his head almost like he wants to pierce into the leader and leave him to the vultures. Magnus shivered at the sight._

_"You must observe, chubs," Ragnor whispered to Magnus, using the fond nickname that he gave because of his chubby cheeks. The prince shivered again, remembering how when he was younger, Ragnor would rub and pinch his cheeks till they were red and coo him. It was unnerving for the young one to see that man he has seen all his life with a look that looked like he was hungry for the war._

_A sharp, wailing noise interrupted the silence. The noise made Magnus close his ears shut and let a few tears drip out of his eyes. But when he looked up to see the bodyguards and the General, they didn't seem fazed. The soldiers who were closer to the sound also didn't seem to be alarmed by the sound._

_That is when Magnus realized that it was not just any noise._

_It was a battle horn._

_The war had begun._

_He saw the cavalries from both sides rush towards each other, both being led by seemingly reckless leaders. They clashed against one another, fighting with all their might. Screams, body parts, orders and weapons  flew in the wind. The blood splattering the dry sands were being absorbed greedily by the grains. People fought for no reason and for a reason at the same time. No one seemed to be aware that everyone over there was the end of the day, people. It was like hope made them turn against one another because the other had taken it away from them._

_Magnus tried to concentrate on his father. He could see that his own father slashing mercilessly through the forces with his huge and mighty sword. His father's eyes were focused one person and that was Valentine._

_"This was the worst day to have a war," One bodyguard said. To any person it would sound haughty, but Magnus could hear the sense of weariness in him._

_"Valentine has weakened our forces." The other agreed silently._

_"The King may look insane out there, but in reality he is tired," Ragnor agreeing, gravely. "He wants this threat over already."_

_"Why are some people missing?" Magnus asked, finally finding his voice. His tears have dried now but he still did not feel brave. He could see that a large portion of the army was missing but could not put a finger on which group of people._

_"The Seelies, my Lords," one bodyguard informed. Horses were neighing out of pain and people were falling over. It looked like people have started aiming at the animals to bring death faster. Magnus all of sudden felt like running back home and hugging his pony._

_"Why?" Magnus asked, his voice almost giving out. His eyes were stinging and now Magnus didn't even know if it was because of tears, or the grains of sand being carried by the wind._

_"We don't know," Ragnor said quietly. "They're still within our rule, but from what we heard Valentine blackmailed the Queen with a frightening piece of information." Ragnor looked at Magnus and gave him a chuckle. "Her Majesty," he said sarcastically "does not want to disclose on what he blackmailed her with."_

_The Seelie Queen just ruled over seelies though it was Magnus' family that ruled over the entire Downworld. She was just a leader to keep the seelies in check, thus making it easier for any of the royal families to come. "So the blackmail meant that she should take back her share of the army?" Magnus asked curiously. Ragnor hummed a low 'yes' in response._

_A sudden wail pierced through the sky, almost sounding like a banshee. It made Magnus and his companions jump up, in startle. The wail was followed with a string of yells, screams and curses. By then, the sands of the desert shrouded the battling soldiers like blanket, surrounding them with misery and obstructing the prince and his companions' view. Magnus and Ragnor squinted through the mist, holding in a breath and wavering their eyes over any blind spot they could find in the dome of despair._

_Whatever happened on the battlefield which had been followed by that wail, had some powerful impact to cease the bloodshed and allow the grains of sand to settle. Magnus could see the armies all in stand-still mode, with less than the previous numbers of Circle warriors than before. It looked like his father's side was easily winning despite the vacant positions of the seelie knights._

_Right in the centre of the desert, stood Valentine with his sword's hilt loosely held within his fist. The blade was smeared with blood, enough to look like it was covering from the tip to the handle. His face held triumph and mischief. But when he raised his head to look around him, his face morphed into fear. Fear of what he was going to face due to his actions._

_Magnus' height was not permitting him to see the actions of the scared leader. He walked a bit ahead from the point he was standing, not enough to fall off the rock, but sufficient for him to see the damage done by Valentine._

_The sight almost a punched a breathe out of him_

_Despite the loud noise that was covering them, Magnus' head buzzed with a piercing white noise. It felt like someone hit the back of his head hard and any minute he was going to faint. He noticed his dry his throat is and how chapped his lips had gotten. He struggled to keep his eyes open. His eyelids felt like they was weight attached to them, forcing him to stop seeing the horrifying sight in front of him._

_His father was sprawled on the ground, unmoving, his eyes wide open and his chest covered in blood._

_The King was dead._

**_Magnus' father_ ** _was dead._

_The Kingdom just lost their leader._

_For a split second, Magnus could feel the order of the Kingdom vanishing. Almost like the thread that held his world together, and others' worlds too, threatening to break. Threatening to let loose all the havoc and chaos that it held back. There was a sense of... no direction that Magnus was sure was being felt by everyone present there. He felt that his own existence, just let go of a deadweight that had been forcing him down for some time._

_He felt the misery floating in the winds. Not many people had learned to love King Asmodeus during his rule. But what the Downworld had, which evidently the Shadoworld didn't have, was loyalty. They could never go against each other. They never separated. And for the first time, the spontaneity of the situation made everyone question how they will ever move on._

_Magnus included, too._

_"Avenge the King!"_

_A booming voice spoke right beside Magnus. He turned to see Ragnor, fuming with wrath and looking at the battlefield with fiery anger. Magnus could see the tears almost about to fall from Ragnor's eyes, but it was like his eye orbits refused to release them. The sight made Magnus give a sharp sob and sway back and forth, almost about to faint._

_Ragnor caught him._

_Of course, Ragnor caught him._

_His second father was the only person that was filling the giant hole in Magnus' chest._

_Magnus wanted to turn his head and bury it into Ragnor's chest, and to begin crying, but a rough hand forced his face upwards. Ragnor look at him with the great fury that made Magnus shiver with fear.  "You are not going to grieve now." He gripped the young boy's shoulders. "You have to lead."_

_The word 'lead' circled around his head, spinning in all different directions, but still not hitting Magnus with the realization he needed. His father is gone. In his place... there was this responsibility which is now Magnus'. He is going to be sitting on the very throne that his father sat on, stonily, once the war is over._

_The thought of war reminded him of something, causing him to turn towards the battling soldiers. In Magnus' eyes, the war was done. He could see the opposition surrendering, the army (which is now under his command) closing on Valentine, who was probably for the first time in his life, was feeling helpless. He kept trying to break through the crowd and escape, but he couldn't run away  from the wrath of the loss faced by the Downworlders._

_Before he knew it, Valentine was being dragged towards the very stone on which Magnus stood on, his arms held up by vampire and a werewolf. Both were looking at him with malice and contempt. They looked hopefully at Ragnor, silently begging the General to allow them to have the honor of avenging the deceased King._

_Valentine was deposited at Magnus' feet, his arms still remaining captive within the hands of the two Downworlders. His bald head was covered in ashes and his face smeared in blood. Magnus could see his teeth were also tainted with blood. He wondered whether it was the Circle leader's own blood or someone of the royal army._

_He was panting hard, and his chest had a large gash across it. He was losing blood fast, his eyes were closing for few seconds longer than necessary when he blinked. In a nutshell, he looked weak and on his way to his deathbed._

_Ragnor stepped forward, grabbed the rogue Nephilim's chin and gave a solid punch to the dying face. Valentine grunted but did not curse, just lulled his head to the side, letting the blood drip onto the sand. Ragnor grabbed the back of his collar and dragged him out of the hands of the two hopeful Downworlders. He began to land solid kicks and punches to various parts of Valentine's body, weakening him further. Magnus was surprised that he himself did not flinch at the sight of violence._

_"Please," Valentine coughed out. "Please. Let me beg for mercy from the present King." He joined his palms and situated in a kneeling position in front of Ragnor, begging profusely._

_But to Magnus, it was obvious._

_He was acting._

_Ragnor gave a look to Magnus, asking for permission. He gets a surprise when the young prince (now King) gave a slow nod, looking like he knew what he was agreeing to. Ragnor, for a second, was afraid that maybe, the young boy would pardon the genocidal psychopath. Magnus had never been a part of bloodshed of this kind. Hell, he's never been part of **any** bloodshed. There might be chance that the young boy would do the easiest thing._

_He reluctantly brought Valentine in front of Magnus, standing right beside him, just in case if there was a strike against him. After all, Valentine was a grown man and Magnus was just a nine year old boy, not even old enough to gain a bit of muscle._

_Valentine spread his arms wide open, almost like he's going to present some unknown truth. "Your highness, this entire war was not on the basis of what you think it is. You are young. Impressionable. People will want to influence you." Ragnor snorted and growled at the same time. "You are now the King. This was the first war you have ever witnessed. Your first act as a King, should be an act of mercy. And that's all I'm asking. A pardon."_

_"Why?"_

_The word of question that came out of such a young boy shocked everyone. It did not sound like a boy talking, but rather someone who is of age, cunning and... dare they think it, wise. The question was not a sound stupidity but rather a chance given to Valentine to give better reasons to gain a pardon._

_Valentine took in a deep breath. A sign of annoyance and fear at the same time. More blood dripped down his armor causing him to shiver outwardly._

_"We could rebuild the relations between the Shadowhunters and Downworlders. A better alliance. We would be unbeatable if we conspired together. I am an old man. You are a young boy. Neither of us want a war or to see anymore of this violence. I have a son and a daughter. I could only imagine how a kid would feel standing amidst of all this and witnessing their own father die. We can only wash these memories away."_

_Valentine took in another breath. "So, what do you say? Forgetting the past or angering the future?"_

_Everyone stared at the unreadable expression on the young King's face. Ragnor began to think even more that he was going to let the evil man go. And judging from his own soldiers' faces, they began to think of the same for Magnus._

_But Magnus._

_Magnus was raging inside._

_The entire speech made by Valentine sounded oddly condescending. He felt belittled. Like he wasn't capable of anything that included politics. He was even more betrayed at the fact that his army have started to look defeated, like as if Magnus would easily forget the amount of risk they put for trying to kill this man who shows no signs of redemption.  Magnus swallowed this anger and looked at the crazy man in the eye._

_"I don't understand why this war was happening," Magnus began, taking a step closer to Valentine. "I don't understand the cause of it nor the reason." Another step, looks of confusion passed around. "I don't understand why my father had to die." Valentine began to look uncomfortable and started to squirm under the little boy's gaze. "I don't understand why so many soldiers had to die."_

_He halted in front of Valentine. His hands were crossed at the back and peered down at the insane man. "According to you, I don't understand anything."_

_A deep silence followed. Magnus took in a breath. "Therefore, I don't understand mercy."_

_With that, Magnus stabbed Valentine in the heart with the dagger gifted by his father._

_Valentine's eyes widened comically, he gasped and even held on to Magnus' thin arms. Before Ragnor could rip his hands off of Magnus, the traitorous  Shadowhunter fell onto his side, his last inhale still stuck at his mouth. Magnus pulled out his dagger, which was covered completely in blood and just stared at the dead body. His tears were completely dry. His anger had subsided. And the reality came crashing down on him._

_He just killed a man._

_Provided the man committed crimes that he was now classified as a monster, it did not dull the realization that was hitting Magnus._

_Before he could cry out in shock at what he had done, he was being lifted up in the air and onto someone's shoulders. Once his vision settled, he saw the all too familiar horns poking out of the forehead of the person he was sitting on._

_He was soon surrounded by people. The joyous screams of his army soldiers were definitely helping him calm his racing heartbeat and stopping him from calling himself names._

_Suddenly, he felt a certain energy crawling up in his wrists. When he looked down, puzzled, he was surprised that it was not his usual tendrils of magic. In fact, he couldn't see anything but he definitely was feeling something. The energy wasn't unwelcomed by him though. It was warm, comforting but at the same time, carried certain weight to it. It grounded him. Consumed him. Made him realize that this is the real world. What he did may have saved the lives of many._

_Maybe this was what a King felt when they did something right for the their Kingdom._

_When they saved their people._

_And Magnus Bane swears on his people, he would do anything to keep this energy, this feeling, alive within him._

~~  ~~  ~~

As the years went on, the Downworld began to see what they loved to call was the Golden Rule of Magnus Bane.

Not many people found a single complaint against him. Many found his actions just and reasonable. He wasn't temperamental or reckless like his father. Neither was he stupid or unwise.

The Seelies were kept under a tight watch. Magnus never exactly found out what was used against them during the war but he knew if he treated them too unfairly, he would never get their support. And so far, from every meeting he's ever been on with them, they never seemed to suspect his skeptic towards them.

Magnus made several adjustments to the Council, even changing the leaders' positions. He made his best friend Raphael Santiago as the head of the Vampires, Luke Garroway as the ultimate Alpha of the Werewolves and Catarina Loss and Ragnor Fell as the co-leaders of the Warlock clan. He did not designate the leader of the seelie clan, because all of them were so similar. No matter who he would've chosen as a Seelie ruler, the rule would never change. They all anwyays can't lie, this inheriting the same sly personalities . Ragnor Fell also still held onto his secondary job which was the General of the army.

One thing that was tainted after the messy war started by Valentine is that the Shadow world and the Downworld relations were never the same. It was so clear that the Nephilim wanted to heal their relations but  Magnus never took their apologies seriously. Every meeting started with a half-assed apology that have started to irritate all the Downworld leaders, including Magnus. Since he was the king,  he could not give an odd excuse to skip out of it.

Also the Nephilim were terribly divided.

There was no ruler. Only heads of Institutes which were basically places of work and housing present in every state. They were ruled by the Clave, again a group of people. They consisted of one kind only yet they always remain disorganized while the Downworld consisted of not one but four kinds of half-demonic creatures. On top of that, they lived in their hidden homeland, Idris, which didn't have a _specific_ location. It was just a place that wasn't even on the map. Almost like an underground city.

On top of all that, the Shadowhunters always considered themselves as angelic beings (which Magnus never understood because they are actually HALF of what they boast about) , stomping on the Downworlders as if they were lesser than all of them.

Thus Magnus was never been able to give even a shred of respect to them.

Valentine's children went into hiding from what he heard. The Clave assured the Downworlders that they would make sure that his children would never finish what he had started. But alas, their words were dismissive and careless. One of Valentine's children, Sebastian, ran away from his family and God knows where he went. The Shadowhunters didn't even issue a search warrant for him.

Magnus remembered that day very well when Luke came to him and announced the issue gravely. He was only eighteen but he cursed so much that it looked like he was a hundred year old warlock whose mistakes and regrets were catching up to him. And that was Magnus' regret. He regretted not paying attention to the Clave's empty words. A part of him even hoped that maybe, that Sebastian guy won't turn out to be bad and may have just ran away because of teenage issues.

He was so wrong that he wanted to split his head open.

After the disappearance of Sebastian, Valentine's wife, Jocelyn and his daughter Clary, showed up at his castle's doorsteps, begging him to give them shelter. Magnus was surprised to hear that not only did Clave exile them but rather shunned them. They were avoided like the plague whenever they passed by Shadowhunters. The girl, Clary, was so small and thin for her twelve year old age that Magnus felt his heart peeking out of his waistcoat. But he knew that using his heart in matters of the Kingdom was just a sign of weakness.

Jocelyn told him that no one helped them whenever one of them got sick. They were given a house far into the woods that her own children were not allowed to play outside in fear of being mauled by the beasts lurking around. They were trapped, starved and made fun of. Sebastian began to believe his father's crazy statements and had started to rant about how the Downworlders were the reasons they were living impoverish lives. The treatment they got from the Clave made Sebastian more crueler and nastier. It also didn't help that he was the closest to his father and was the audience to his many deranged arguments.

Clary, on the other hand, turned out to be less irrational and bigoted than her father and brother. She helped around a lot in the house and even learned how to fight along with her mother, just so she could defend herself when in need. Though she too looked at the Clave with disdain, she never extended it to the Downworld, looking for blame. Maybe she learned how the blame made Sebastian more evil than he already is and decided against it. Magnus, himself, was only a few years older than Clary.

 The side of Magnus which he always hides whenever he is in his King-mode, took one look at Clary and got attached. He saw the desperate look in her eyes, the flinch she gave whenever someone got too close to her, the quiver of her lips when she thought that Magnus was going to throw her and her mother out on the streets, made Magnus feel cold.

He made the mother-daughter duo wait in the hallway while he and his fellow leaders discussed on whether allowing them live within the kingdom. The Seelie queen was uninterested, Raphael was skeptical, Catarina and Ragnor were conflicted on what to say. It was Luke who helped Magnus make a decision. He knew Jocelyn before and was very close to her.

Magnus also didn't ignore the look of adoration and longing in Luke's eyes when he spoke of her name. He used to be a shadowhunter before being bitten by a rogue werewolf. One reason of many of which most people were a bit hesitant in accepting Luke as the Alpha, was that he used to be Valentine's parabatai. People couldn't help but be a bit of a skeptic when it came to his loyalty.

But Luke shone through.

He was very passionate of his pack, always reliable when it came to information about the well-being of the werewolves and Magnus had to admit, Luke became a bit of a fatherly figure to him. Whenever, he couldn't sleep at night, he would go to Luke's house (undercover of course) and chat with him until the rays of the sunlight alerted them about the consequences of Magnus coming all the way there.

"Would you sell your vineyard to me?" Magnus one day had asked, when he was twenty-one years old. Luke gave a loud laughter which made Magnus unintentionally titter. Luke owned an entire vineyard which used to belong to his father and the Jade Wolf, a very famous restaurant, which also happens to be Magnus' favorite, and that is an unbiased opinion.

"Let me tell you," Magnus had begun, holding a bottle of wine by its stem and swaying from side to side even though he is on Luke's comfy chair. Luke, on the other hand, had been lying on his couch, with a dazed look and holding a bottle of wine of his own. "I am so glad. So so so so glad!"Magnus spreaded his arms theatrically, trying to get his word across to an imaginary audience. "I am so glad that I am having my first ever drink with you." Magnus pointed at Luke taking another swig of the wine.

The Alpha had started to laugh with tears in his eyes spilling over his face. It was clear to Magnus (and maybe a small sober portion of Luke's brain) that Luke had been drunk.

A loud knock had startled the two men out of their haze. Luke began to yell at his door like as if it an animal and it was being terribly rude by 'barking'. The door was  opened by magic and revealing a very displeased Ragnor Fell.

Magnus had just given him a grin and spread his arms for a hug. Ragnor had just looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "On the night of your twenty-first birthday, you use one of your dear friends to get drunk?" He demanded, his voice too loud for Magnus' liking.

"No I didn't! I was just making sure if the wine was good as many people say it is!" Magnus had reasoned terribly. Ragnor gave him and Luke an unimpressed look.

"And you just gave it to him?" Ragnor turned towards Luke and glared.

"Ragnar Lothbrok!" Luke had bellowed, after he had gotten out of his stupor. "When is the next Thor movie coming out?" And then Luke usual deep, soothing voice had giggled and hiccuped.

"Oh dear god, my friend, I am not a character from that weird TV show you and Jocelyn watch." Ragnor rubbed his palm against his forehead. "And I don't know when that-" Ragnor wrinkled his nose "-Thor movie of yours is coming out." He rubbed both his hands against the temples of his forehead, almost soothing a headache.

"Well," he had begun, turning to the drunk King. "I hope you have learned your lesson."

"Yup," Magnus said, making a popping sound at the 'p'. "That Luke Garroway's alcohol tolerance is _shit_."

"Well, so is yours, Chubs." Ragnor took a step closer to Magnus and snatched the bottle away from the King's hands. And the King had just pouted, making grabby hands at the bottle.

Ragnor had been about to take the bottle and drain it when he curiously took a sniff of it when he realized that the wine smelt a bit different. He took another whiff and finally tasted it.

He began to laugh. Loudly and pointing a finger once at Luke, and then at Magnus. Luke joined in and started to point a finger back. Magnus was laughing too albeit a bit confusedly.

"Uh what is the joke?" Magnus asked nervously, still giggling, his eyes wavering between Luke and Ragnor.

" _This is grape juice!_ "

Magnus smile dropped and his face became one of horror. 'W-what?" he stuttered, getting up on his feet and dragging the bottle away from Ragnor, taking another swig. _Oh shit, it is grape juice_.

"Friend, that was a good one!" Ragnor pointed a finger appraisingly at Luke. Now that Magnus thought of it, Ragnor pointed fingers a lot.

Magnus turned to Luke with unmasked horror. "You _swindled_ me? You didn't want me to get drunk on my birthday!" He exclaimed accusingly. Luke just laughed even more.

"And he had already drank before," Ragnor added, summoning a glass of water with a snap of his finger, handing it over to Magnus. He took it, still dumbfounded out of his mind.

"How do you know?"

"Because we both went for drinks together." Ragnor lifted Luke's incredibly long and muscular legs from the couch and sat down, settling it over his lap once again. Magnus soon realized that they probably were pretty close friends and maybe shared stories Magnus' stupid reckless mistakes with each other.

The Roast Magnus Club.

And he's sitting with two of its main members.

'You planned this!" Magnus yelled. Ragnor nodded and gave a smirk.

"Of course, I did. I knew that you would try to get a drink." Then Ragnor gave a full blown out grin. "Your entire drunk night was just psychological! And aren't you take a psychology course? Shouldn't you know?" Ragnor taunted.

Magnus crossed his arms childishly. "And a part-time Law course," he mumbled.

"Chubs, there's no such thing."

"There is!"

"You reading a few law books in your library does not give you a ticket to a law doctorate!"

"Maybe it does!"

"Nope."

"Oh hush already," Luke muttered, rubbing his fingers against his temple. Suddenly he looked sober all of sudden. He looked like he was trying to say something all night but managed to remember it now, hence sobering him up.

"We  all know that the reason you came to drink was not only for your twenty-first birthday," Luke said lowly. He sounded a bit better, but still a bit dazed then he normally would've been like. Magnus just squirmed at his seat and pursed his lips. "Magnus, what were you and Iris talking about?"

"Iris wants me to get married," Magnus blurted out. Iris Rouse was one of the most powerful witches in the Kingdom (a bit behind Magnus obviously) and was very close to his father. She was almost like an advisor. After his father died, she still held the position though Magnus sometimes didn't take her advice seriously. She often berated him and Magnus even doubted whether she had any respect for him.

The reason she stayed in the castle with was because of Madzie, a little warlock born just few months before Magnus' twenty-first birthday. She was Iris' goddaughter and the moment Magnus had held her, he felt a surge of power. He knew that Madzie was going to become a very powerful witch in the future, just like him. Besides the amount of power in the little baby which was a striking quality itself, Magnus felt a surge of love for her. He never had problems with children. In fact he loved them. Which was odd since he was a child not too long ago.

He knew that if he threw Iris out of the castle, she would take Madzie along with her. And Magnus didn't want that. He was just twenty one and yet he felt a sort of a fatherly feeling towards her. He felt the need to protect her from harm after the horrific backstory of her origin.

"I don't want to get married." Magnus felt tears coming out of his eyes after thinking about Madzie."I never got a chance to do anything for myself. And now." he sniffed, trying to swallow the lump in his throat. "And now, this woman claims that she loves me like her son yet wants me to get married off to a random ass person." Magnus' shoulders trembled.

"That's odd." Ragnor scrunched up his nose. "Don't you think the factor that you should be in love with someone before you decide to let a document declare you as a 'a very serious' couple? Honestly, Iris getting old-"

"She doesn't care about love," Luke cut off Ragnor. The General looked at him with confusion and darted his eyes between him and the King. "Iris never believed in love. She wants Magnus to get married for political reasons." Luke laughed bitterly. "A court advisor will only think of politics."

A part of Magnus wondered how Luke managed to fit in all the piece together even after drinking alcohol. Magnus wasn't even drinking alcohol and he was acting drunk out of his mind. "Yes," Magnus agreed quietly.

Ragnor raised both his eyebrows. But there was another look in his eyes. Something that made Magnus feel a bit betrayed.

But after a few years, after certain opposition rising out of nowhere, after random loopholes in the treaties and shortage of support from all sections of society, both Magnus and Luke were horrified when they both collectively started to understand Iris' push for Magnus to get married.

And Magnus understood what was that look which was in Ragnor's eye when the marriage was spoken about.

He was silently agreeing with Iris.

And now, Magnus was agreeing too.

~~  ~~  ~~

Alec lay stealthily under his bed, his brother, Jace, right next him, holding his own mouth with both palms trying to suppress his laughter. Alec felt his younger brother, Max crawling up his back, mimicking Jace  and burying his little face in Alec's hair. The eldest brother glared at both and made shushing noises. Jace, in response, hid his face into his biceps and Max just wiggled his face at the back of Alec's neck. Both of them giggling.

The Lightwood brothers.

Who were hiding from the really intelligent and beautiful Lightwood sister.

They were the spawns of Robert and Maryse Lightwood, the heads of the New York Institute.  But the intimidating surname that rose a sliver of respect in most people did not take away the fun from the children. True, Alec Lightwood, who was the next in line of receiving his parents' glorified position, has been carrying a chip on his shoulder all his life, was still open to adventures and playtime with his three energetic siblings.

They were currently hiding from the wrath of their dearest sister, who was out for their blood. Isabelle always had a peculiar fascination with cooking but never grasped the talent for it. But that knowledge seemed to be known by everyone but Isabelle. She would constantly go to the Institute's kitchen, meddling with all the ingredients. 

The night before, Isabelle had promised her brothers that she would make a pie for them. Naturally, the Lightwood brothers became paler than usual but said nothing to their Amazon-resembling sister. But they conspired together to throw away the pie which Isabelle would leave in the fridge as she had already made it. In the morning, they would comfort her saying that their name wasn't written on it and maybe someone loved her cooking so much (yes, they had planned to flatter her) and ate it.

They thought the plan would go smoothly.

_HA HA HA  HA_

No, it didn't.

They were walking down the main room of the Institute when one of the Shadowhunters residing there, ran briskly by them with a look of horror. "Your sister, she's out for blood," he had said breathlessly and ran away again. The three brothers screeched when they heard their sister yelling "ALEC! JACE! MAX!"

They ran into Alec's room which was the closest. Jace had planned to hide in the closet when Alec made a brief joke saying "I was there, and Isabelle still found out." Jace and Max had stopped running around the room in  panic and briefly started to laugh when they heard Isabelle scream again. They, once again gave an inhuman screech and had begun running again, Jace and Alec even bumping into each other.

Thus, leading to their present condition, which was under Alec's bed. Which was an uncomfortable feat itself, because Alec was too tall and has to bend his knees at an awkward angle. Jace was trying to squeeze himself into a smaller form along with Alec so that no part of him was seen through the sides of the bed.

Max just wanted to make the situation more difficult and perched himself on Alec's back. So Alec had to now worry to not bang his little brother's head against the bed.

The door was thrown open and Alec momentarily felt like getting out of his hiding place and scolding Isabelle for trying to break open his door again. His ambitions were quietened when Isabelle began to walk around the room, humming about where her brothers could be.

She didn't even attempt to check the closet, nor the bathroom, but rather stood in front of the bed, so that her pointy heels were right in front of Alec's face.

 _By the Angel_ , Alec thought, _forget those heels' ability to pierce my heart, they can fucking pierce my soul_.

'Where are you, _putas_?" Isabelle snarled. But there was also an edge of mocking tone in her voice, almost as if she knew where they-

Isabelle dropped onto her hands and feet, almost like as if she was doing push-up and smiled sadistically at Alec and the others. 'Hello, _putas_."

The two men and boy screamed. Alec was about jump up in fright but remembered that his brother was on his back and ended up banging his own head against the bed. Jace almost stood up, ready to throw Alec's bed off of him. But Isabelle grabbed a hold of both their arms and pulled them out; Max clinging to Alec's neck and screaming at being dragged indirectly.

And this is how the Lightwood siblings began to wrestle with each other.  At one point, Alec's own pillow was thrown in the crossfire. Feathers were everywhere and at one point, Isabelle forgot why she was hunting down her brothers, too caught up with all the fun. Soon the pillow fight gradually gave way to tickling and then just pointing and laughing at each other.

Now, they all were sprawled on Alec's tiny bed, cuddling each other, breathless and stomachs aching. Alec silently peered at his younger siblings, feeling warmth in his tummy and a permanent smile on his face. This was how his paradise would've been like. His siblings. No work and obligations. A possible lover along with them...

It wasn't that Alec didn't want his the head of the Institute position. He needed it. He had so many ideas and innovations that he could apply to make the Institute in New York one step closer to progress. It was always his dream job to attain when he was of age. Of course, his parents stood in his way but he felt that they would surely pass the position to him.

But as the years went on, the assurance was slipping away.

Ever since he came out to his parents, it looked like whatever he did, just brought disappointment to them.

He single-handedly beats a dozen of shax demons.

A frown.

He manages to gain the trust of a warlock to help them put wards on their institute.

A frown.

He becomes a respectable figure in the Clave's eyes without their help.

A frown.

At this point Alec felt that if he suddenly claimed that he had killed a dragon with his bare hands his parents would still follow it up with a _oh, couldn't you have killed **two** dragons?_

Alec wanted to scream at their faces with exasperation.

He felt that they would never steer away from the power they had. He _doubted_ they would even give it to him. He feared that they would just give it to a random Shadowhunter or just ask the Clave to appoint one on their behalf. Because one, Max was too young and they are planning to give away the power soon. Two, they held the same distrust and disappointment  they had for Alec with Isabelle too. Three, they wouldn't even _try_ offering it to Jace, because everyone knows that he wouldn't want it and was pretty reckless when it came to decisions.

Alec couldn't help but feel a bit hurt at the fact that his parents would never trust him with this responsibility.  They probably think he will not be able to handle the power anyways.

"Alec?" a voice brought him from his ponder. He saw it was Isabelle, her face softened and sad. "Are you okay?" Jace was giving him concerned looks and Max was looking at him helplessly. He realized that he wasn't the only one affected by his parents' negligence.

"I'm fine, Izzy," Alec assured. He rubbed a hand through her hair but she didn't flinch back to fix it, rather looking relaxed as he did it. "Just tired."

All four of them lay there for few minutes in silence, soaking in each other's comfort, warmth and love. A knock on the door brought them all to an alert. They jumped away from each other and off the bed, to not seem like they cuddling a few moments ago. A head of one for their fellow-Shadowhunter poked in with a look of tiredness as well.

"Hey, your parents are calling for you."

The happy moment was gone and was replaced with an air of tension. They knew whenever their parents summoned them, they were going to get some sort of bad news about themselves. Max, was most of the time not called for by his parents, unless an important Clave representative was coming and he needs to be told to be on his best behavior.

Isabelle and Alec fixed their hair to look more appropriate while Jace just fixed his already rumpled-beyond-fixing shirt. They walked silently side-by-side in the hallways, keeping their heads held high and fists formed to hit noses and accept the consequences should the opportunity arise. Their motto was sometimes taken as a literal statement.

"What does ' _puta_ ' mean?" Max asked innocently, breaking the tension.

The older Lightwoods had to stop mid-hall to snort into their fists and control their laughter.

~~  ~~  ~~

"Magnus Bane is going to visit," Maryse announced, once her children were settled around her and Robert in the meeting room. There was sudden jump next to Alec, making him turn to see it was Jace who seemed excited.

"Magnus Bane? Oh my God..." Jace squirmed in his seat and then pressed fist onto his mouth, trying to conceal a squeal. After a moment, he rested his elbow on the table and made 'are you serious' gesture. "That legend?"

Of course, Maryse and Robert wouldn't not be pleased by Jace's sudden excited behavior. They were even more not pleased when Jace referred the King of the Downworld as a 'legend'.

"Mind you, Jonathan that even though we should make sure that he remains comfortable in our quarters, we must not feed into his pride or he would set out to try and rule _us_ ," Maryse said, through her gritted teeth.

 _Oops_ , Alec thought in his head, _she's mad_.

 _Of course, she is Monsieur Obvious_ , a voice responded in his head which sounded a lot like Isabelle's.

Alec snapped back into the reality, creeped out by that moment in his head. When Alec turned to Jace again, he saw him lose his excited front and looks discouraged. It was rare when Jace looked up to someone and when he did, and there was a possibility of meeting that person, his parents ruined his moment. And now seeing his behavior, they won't even let him meet Magnus. Alec made a mental promise in his head to aid his parabatai to meet the King of the Downworld.

"They still have Kings and Queens ruling them. I mean, it's the twenty-first century," Maryse was saying to Robert, her body turned towards him. "They haven't caught up with the present. How can we let those traditional... people come here and dine with us." Alec had a feeling that Maryse was going to say something more insulting instead of the word 'people'.

Bile rose up Alec's throat in disgust at how his mom was bitching about the Downworlders. They were the ones who were treating him like shit for liking men and she indirectly accuses the Downworlders of being narrow-minded.

He saw his siblings were also not pleased with Maryse's perspective of Downworlders. He knew how much his siblings were fascinated by them. They even had a lengthy conversation about how which downwolrder they would be if they were born as one. It was then when they all realized that they don't know much about the half-demonic creatures.

Can seelies really not lie?

Did Vampires have a repulsive nature towards garlic?

Did werewolves turn only on a full moon night?

Did Warlocks have the traditional pointy hats on whenever they are making potions?

Okay, the last one was weird question coming from Jace but may have sparked a sense of curiosity within Alec.

Alec was not very much into the downworlder topic. He was indifferent towards them. But he did very much wish they could co-exist in harmony with each other. The tension between shadowhunters and downworlders thickened after the entire Valentine fiasco.

Shadowhunters refused to issue a sincere apology.

Downworlders refused to respect them.

Which was very understandable in Alec's point of view.

"When will he be here?" Alec asked. His parent finally got out of their ridiculous shunning conversation and turned towards him, lips pursed and giving each other looks.

"In three days," Robert answered. He seemed very fidgety which was very unlike of him. Alec frowned. Now that did he looked into it, his mom was also more chattier than usual. His siblings didn't notice this behavior. Almost as if she was nervous.

They were either not telling them something or just intimidated by the fact that a King was going to in their institute, among other shadowhunters.

 _Or maybe both_ , a voice supplied unhelpfully in Alec's head.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First meetings  
> awkwardness from Alec  
> Magnus being the childish but royal as hell self

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry that this is such a late update. Truth is, I had typed out the second chapter a really time ago. But there was slight confusion with the editing and chapter with the beta and I  
> speaking of beta...  
> I FOUND ONE AND SHE'S THE SWEETEST PERSON IN THE ENTIRE PLANET.  
> she is @maleconmymind on twitter and a fellow desi. She's at the moment taking her MCATs which is her only focus at the moment for her so she's not active on twitter for a month. But if you know her well, please wish her a good luck, these exams are really important to her.  
> Also another thing I want to express my gratitude to is the people who took time to give this work kudos and leave a nice comment. All of you are so sweet and I hope you are having a wonderful day, night, evening or afternoon.  
> Another thing, the chapter isn't edited, but once my beta comes back, I'll delete it and replace it with a the grammatically correct one.  
> Now on with the chapter.

**Chapter 2**

"I hate it when Iris is right," Luke muttered as he stood next to Magnus, who was leaning over a table, with a map of the entire continent on it. Ragnor stood on Magnus' other side, also hunched over the piece of paper as well.

"I think it's very evident neither of us either," Ragnor replied, rubbing a palm against his forehead and very shallowly missing his sharp horns. Magnus was just quiet, peering over the map with a squint.

"Why does it have to be a Nephilim?" Luke asked curiously, his eyes darting between the King and the General.

"Because it provides an opportunity," Magnus answered. His hand got a hold of a pencil and began to hover it over the map, deciding which place to offer his proposition. "Our ties with the Shadowhunters have been severed after the battle between Valentine and... my father."

Magnus continued immediately after his brief pause, not allowing Luke and Ragnor to give him their signature worried looks. "With them on our side, there is less friction in our order and more soldiers for our army." Magnus didn't like what he was trying to reason one bit, but he needs to be reasonable. "Besides, we also need to keep a watch on them, see if there is no more people like Valentine and Sebastian among them."

True to what Magnus had been thinking when he was younger, Sebastian did turn to be a carbon copy of his father. Maybe a bit more ambitious and crazy too. He has picked up from where Valentine had left and began to go against the Downworlders again. Numerous amounts of slaughters of random downworlders have been reported to Magnus. A symbol of a circle all branded on their chests, showcasing Sebastian's insanity. Again, the Clave continues to pretend to take no notice.

"There are lot of territories that are under the Nephilim in which we are not allowed to venture," Ragnor added helpfully. "If we gain a connection with them, there might be a chance of inspecting those areas for Sebastian."

 _That bastard **had** to be good at playing hide and seek_ , Magnus thought bitterly.

"Can we just decide this now?" Magnus asked impatiently, his foot tapping against the floor to showcase it. "I don't think Sebastian is getting an older considering he may be the Devil himself." Magnus meant it as a joke to may be emit a chuckle or two out of the other two men but no one showed any signs of amusement.

Luke got up from his chair and put a hand on Magnus' shoulder. "This is your life we're talking about, Magnus." Normally, no one called Magnus by his actual name besides his closest friends. "We should probably wait for Raphael and Catarina to be here and help make a decision."

Magnus scoffed. The idea of his other two friends being present here would certainly not help his plight. "Catarina would be too optimistic about this and say something of finding 'another way' and Raphael would just spit in my face for considering this," Magnus paused and then continued again "And the Seelie queen wouldn't be even interested."

Luke gave a tiny smile. "That's why I didn't mention her."

"Okay Magnus is right. Should we start now?" Ragnor snapped impatiently now. "I'm certainly not getting younger here."

Magnus gave a small forced smile to his two peers. "I can assure both of you that I want to do this. It wasn't like I was ever going to find love anyways." Magnus pulled at the hem of his Military style jacket to disguise trying to rub his wrists in nervousness. He didn't like the idea of being tied to one person for the rest of his life either. Hell, he had even doubted whether he was capable of being loved after all that he has done.

"So how do we decide which one?" Ragnor said, bringing Magnus out of his moment of self pity. Magnus hunched even more over the table.

"How about I just close my eyes and mark a random spot? It'll be fast and on our part, painless" Magnus suggested. Since, he didn't have a choice in who he was marrying, he didn't see the point of choosing origin of who he was planning to marry hardly soothing at all. Luke and Ragnor just gave a small look to each other and nodded, sensing Magnus' bitter feelings.

Magnus took in a deep breath and hover his pencil once more. He shut his eyes airtight and started to roam his hand over the map, not quite touching it, visualizing the outline of the continent under his hunched form. He slowly, very slowly, brought the pencil tip to the paper. He realized that he had not exhaled the deep breath he had taken in either and the room had become exceptionally quiet. Ragnor and Luke were bundles of anxiety on either side of him.

With the silence that was floating around the room, he could very clearly hear the sound of his pencil making a small dot over wherever he has managed to land it. He wanted to keep his eyes closed forever to not see where he had made that mark. Seeing it, would make this entire ordeal very real to Magnus. "Where is it?" Magnus asked out loud, anxiously, still not opening his eyes to look at the paper.

"Well, your option is very diverse," Ragnor answered, although, Magnus could hear sarcasm dripping in it. "I doubt if mermaids are real, but I will disown you as a family friend if you marry a squid."

Magnus frowned. What the hell does Ragnor is saying? Fuck that, what the hell is Ragnor _ever_ saying?

Magnus opened his eyes to see his mark wasn't even in the continent, but rather placed in the middle of the Atlantic ocean. Luke looked slightly amused, though his worried frown was not completely gone. Ragnor just looked even more impatient.

"Oops," Magnus said, feeling a tiny laughter coming out of him. "I won't mind marrying an octopus though." He started laughing at Ragnor's even more not-amused expression.

'You're still not over the fascination-with-octopi phase?" Ragnor said disgustingly, wrinkling his nose. Luke gave a series of chuckles.

''Wait till the kingdom finds out that their King has an octopus _onesie_ ," Luke added to the joke. Magnus glared mockingly.

"They would be proud because I still look  regal in it.'' This time, Magnus gave a proper glare to Ragnor when he scoffed out a small ''doubt it''.

"Okay, jokes aside, Magnus you need to try again. And we will tell you not to go too far away," Luke said, looking pointedly at Ragnor when he said 'we'. Magnus' tiny smile slipped and began to take another deep breath. He closed his eyes and began to move his hand over the paper again.

"You forgot to take a pencil, you nitwit."

"Oh bite me, Ragnor."

"Even Raphael won't do that."

'Oh for God's sakes," Luke said impatiently, forcing a pencil into Magnus' open palm. "Both of you stop or I will actually bite you guys. And it's not as pleasurable you think it is, with my canines out," he warned.

Despite the tiny argument between him and Ragnor, Magnus felt a bit more relaxed. The bickering definitely eased some of his nerves. A part of knew that despite Ragnor acting like he wants to get this over with, he was also trying to delay the time, like as if another idea may pop out of their heads before it is all settled.

Magnus began to move his hand, _once again_ , over the map. With the help of Luke's helpful and Ragnor's unhelpful directions, he managed to settle the pencil tip on a spot, piercing through the paper with a small sound.

He opened one eye first and saw the he had selected a place on the east coast. Before he could focused on the spot more clearly, Luke's voice rang out "New York state," he remarked. "Not a good choice but not a bad choice either, considering the Lightwoods."

Magnus opened his other eye and narrowed down on the mark he had made over the Brooklyn city, in the New York state. He could feel his lunch coming up to his throat and a sense of dizziness buzzing around his head. "So how does this work?" He breathed out, which he realized was bit harder to do than usual. He could a bead of sweat roll down the back of his neck. "Do I just marry the Head of the Institute or just any shadowhunter?"

"The Head of the Institute," Ragnor answered gravely. His eyes were fixed on the spot almost like as if it was offending him with every molecule of its existence.

"But what if he or she's not even around my age?" Magnus wanted to make it sound like a question, but it sounded a bit like a whine. "I can marry someone to make them a cougar and I can't marry someone way younger than because that will make _me_ the cougar."

Ragnor rolled his eyes, despite his disappointed expression in everything that was happening. "You will marry their child then. The Lightwoods are bound to have a child that's around your age. Stop worrying, Chubs." Magnus felt the last sentence of assurance was not towards him but rather towards Ragnor himself.

"Made a choice?" A voice called out from the far end of the room, where the door was located. Iris Rouse's lean figure was leaning against the open door, her red hair up in a ponytail and her mouth sculpted into a smirk. She walked towards the King and his companions, bowing mockingly at Luke and Ragnor.

"I hope you have realized that this is all worth it, my Lord," Iris said sweetly, but Magnus could detect a strong sense of venom in her words. She came even more closer to Magnus, taking hold of both Magnus' hands and wrapping it under hers. "It's good that you finally taken my advice. My, I see a little bit of the late Asmodeus in you."

The three men flinched at the mention of the dead King's name. Magnus didn't like to hear his father' name, much less be compared to him. He could see in Iris' eyes that this was meant to be a jab towards him, after all these years he kept dismissing her word of advice and now, he was heeding to it. That to, in his late twenties.

"Yes, we have," Magnus snarled, forcing his hands out of Iris'. "We're planning to go to the New York Institute by the end of this week and meeting the Lightwoods," Magnus stated, making sure that Ragnor and Luke heard so that they could got to their homes and pack their bags later.

Iris flinched back almost like she had been slapped.  She looked like she wasn't expecting that type of answer. "What?'' she asked dumbly. Her eyes were glossy all of a sudden, almost in frustration.

"I'm going to marry a shadowhunter?" Magnus bemused. "That's what you were hinting at right?"

Iris shook her head, almost making her curls slip out of her ponytail. "I was suggesting you to marry someone of our kind. A _downworlder_. Not that... narcissistic breed," she growled out. Magnus just looked at her exasperatedly.

"Well, thank you," Ragnor cut in before Magnus could say anything that would not make Iris feel more stupid than she was already feeling. "We took _your idea_ and basically made it into a _better idea_. Thank you Iris, your input is always welcomed to be tampered with or ignored."

Iris looked like she was becoming the color of her hair. She looked like she wanted to say something else, maybe something more cutting when Magnus interrupted her. "It's the best plan. We forging a bond with the shadowhunters could very well bring us the help we've been needing all these years."

Iris looked desperate. "Your Highness, you are the best. I know you are still training with your magic but you've made so much progress!" Iris reasoned. Magnus went to the tabletop where a jug of water was kept and few glasses. He poured himself some water and listened half heartedly to Iris' persuasion. "We don't need those _shadowhunters_ when we have _you_! You are wise beyond your years-''

"Then you must understand why I felt this was the best choice," Magnus cut her off. "I need a husband or a wife who is of shadowhunter origin. We could make some progress and we _need_ access to their territories for our search for Sebastian." Magnus put a hand on Iris' shoulder and hunched a bit over to be eye level with her. He gave a tiny smile. "It's already decided and we plan to get this over with as soon as possible," he said softly, calmly.

"But surely you don't wish to settle down so soon!" Magnus' smile slipped. Iris was trying to bring out his personal desires now. She was trying to find a loophole in the Magnus' walls, trying to question his wishes for his kingdom . "Your Highness, why would you want to settle down with someone who is been told from birth to hate our kind with vengeance?" Iris leant close to Magnus' ear, to whisper. "Why settle down with those... traditionalists when we are more adventurous? That girl you had a crush on, Camille Belcourt, she is very interested in you-"

"Enough, Iris," Magnus halted, snatching his hand away which was resting on Iris' shoulder before, almost like he was just bitten by an animal. "My decision is final. We are going to New York next week and we're going to meet the Lightwoods and a few Clave representatives. I'm pretty sure they would be very eager to accept a treaty when the first move is being made by us  rather than them, though they should've done this over all these years." Magnus turned to Ragnor. "Ragnor, call the required people of the Institute for us to discuss this over."

"Yes, my Lord," Ragnor replied, addressing Magnus with respect to avoid another lecture from Iris. He bowed towards his companions and then straightened up to walk out of the room. Iris soon followed, her feet make large stomping noises. Luke was the only one left in the room with Magnus. He looked at him with weariness and put an arm around the King's shoulders.

"You always liked Brooklyn, right?" Luke asked. Magnus, who was really tired after the entire exchange, gave a quick nod and relaxed against his good friend.

"Tell you what, I'll take you on a tour in Brooklyn once we find some free time there."

~~  ~~  ~~ 

"What are you doing?" Alec demanded his siblings. His siblings, Isabelle and Max were in the OPs center, with the little brother perched on Isabelle's shoulders, trying to put up a banner on the high wall.

"Not everyone is blessed with the growth hormone, you know," Isabelle grunted, adjusting her grip on Max's little legs. Max still couldn't reach the top, no matter how high off the ground he was.

"The weather is kind of different here," Max remarked, in a bit of an awe.

"Really?" Isabelle perked up. "Alec, I'm getting up on your shoulders after this."

'You know," Alec began, plucking Max from his place on his sister's shoulders. "You could've just called me to put this."

"We were managing fine," Max snapped, his face scrunched into a mock glare. Alec rolled his eyes and just took the banner from Max's small hands. It was made of fabric with the word 'WELCOME' written with white against a red background. The banner had tiny fringes surrounding its borders, making it look more regal.

Alec did have to go on his tip toes a bit to hook top part of the banner onto the nails, which were already hammered there. Once he settled onto his heels, after doing the job, Isabelle stood in front of him with an expectant stare. Alec raised an eyebrow to which she raised one too in retaliation.

"I didn't promise," Alec sang.

"I didn't hear a 'no'," Isabelle sang back. Alec just huffed and gave up.

"Fine, I'll let you on my shoulders. But," Alec stopped Isabelle from already climbing onto him. 'Not here, and after Magnus Bane leaves."

Isabelle pouted but eventually nodded. Alec ruffed up her long locks once again. "When is the Downworlder King arriving?"

"Mom and dad didn't tell me," Isabelle said sadly. "I think Lydia might know."

"Okay," Alec said, sliding his hand to his sister's right shoulder. "I'll go find out when he's coming here, I'd like to be prepared to not make a fool of myself when he comes here," he joked. Isabelle's eyes widened and looked up to him.

"Wait, you're the one who is going to greet him when he arrives?" Isabelle asked, shocked. "Mom and dad always made me greet the downworlders when they come here.' She looked slightly betrayed by her parents' change of plan.

"How about we both greet him?" Alec rushed in, not wanting his sister to be more upset. "Mom and dad won't be there anyways to welcome him. We can do it together. Right?" True to his plan, Isabelle brightened immediately.

"Yes! Of course! After you find out from Lydia, come and tell me, okay?" Isabelle bounced a bit in her step as she walked away, hiding the betrayal she felt inside and rather showing her true love for her brother on the outside. Alec gave a small smile to her retreating figure, shaking his head in bemusement.

Many shadowhunters residing in the institute found it peculiar to see the sibling love between the Lightwoods. Alec could see the looks he got whenever he showed slight affection to any of his siblings. But to Alec, it was more than that. His siblings were his only best friends. He did have a few friends like Lydia here and there, but he always was the most dependant on his younger brothers and sister for true happiness.

They were the ones that pushed him out of every difficult phase he had in his life. When he came out them, they've been ever so loving, showering him with praises and support. He still remembered Max's eighth birthday when they had snuck out to watch the last movie of Harry Potter.

Yes, the Lightwood siblings were Harry Potter geeks.

They had always watched the movies on television, but it was Max's greatest wish to watch at least one on full screen. Obviously, the older Lightwood could not refuse. And despite the brief lecture they got from their parents for sneaking out, they had to admit, watching the special effects of the movie on big screen made it worth it. It was only Alec who had read all the books while Jace and Isabelle had read the first three books before being swamped with all the missions.

Which also gave Alec the upper hand in saying spoilers whenever his siblings annoyed him.

_"I, by mistake, put your leather jacket in the wash."_

_"Dobby dies."_

_"What the fuck Alec?"_

_"I used your white shirt to wipe off the excess ichor from my blade."_

_"Fred dies."_

_"I will kill you in your sleep."_

Okay, the last one was from Isabelle and made Alec automatically shut up from sprouting his revenge tactic.

"Hey, Lydia," Alec acknowledged once he found Lydia in the training room. She was currently using her bo staff to swipe off an opponent from his feet.

"Unless you offer words of help, you have to wait a bit, Alec," Lydia hissed, trying to strike her staff against the guy's legs to make him fall. Alec smirked at his friend's frustration.

"His shoelaces are untied," he noted, realizing the guy she was sparring with was Raj, a fellow shadowhunter.

"Alec!" Raj exclaimed, feeling betrayed. Lydia stepped on his untied shoelace, making him trip and hit his jaw with his own staff. He laid there cursing Alec with vengeance. "I will get back to you, Lightwood. I will get back to you!"

Lydia giggled and Alec rolled his eyes. "One day you should count the number of times you roll your eyes," Lydia stated, giving her signature tiny smile to him.

"Oh, Jace did that for me. I think it was about... twenty-nine times?" Alec smiled when both Lydia and Raj gave small laughs. Raj walked away from the duo to tie his shoelaces, now discovering they were quite a bit of a liability.

"So what's up?" Lydia asked, grabbing a small face towel from a nearby bench to wipe off her sweat (which seems pretty non-existent to Alec?)

"Isabelle and I were wondering when is Magnus Bane coming to the Institute," Alec said, leaning against a wall next to Lydia and crossing his ankles.

"Oh, today..." Lydia checked her wrist for a watch only to notice there wasn't one. She grabbed Alec's hand and checked his watch. "...about three hours?"

"At five?" Alec asked. Lydia nodded, taking a sip of water from her water bottle.

"I heard he had a meeting in Chicago with some clave representatives last week," Raj added. Lydia and Alec snapped their heads towards him.

'What?"Alec asked dumbly. A meeting last week? Then why was the King coming here? What was the meeting even about?

"Yeah, and get this, apparently it was to forge the once forgotten bond between our kind and the downworlders."

Alec visibly relaxed. So it was meeting that should've taken place a long time ago. A meeting regarding a truce between the two kinds. Alec couldn't help but feel a bit envious at the fact he wasn't qualified to take part in the meeting, although, he is also relieved that the high mighty time has come.

"Also, Alec?" Lydia called out, walking towards the door to leave. "Please wear something fancy, a royal person is coming to our Institute."

Alec frowned. "Fine, I'll wear my denim shirt."

"Oh hell no, man," Raj injected. "We had a mission in the middle of a party and you were wearing that very same shirt. I really doubt that Magnus Bane would like the first shadowhunter he sees smelling like they had a bath in demon ichor."

Lydia hummed in thought. "Raj is right, Alec."

Alec glared at the duo. "You do know that there is a contraption called, I mean, I don't know, the washing machine?" Alec retorted. There was nothing wrong with that shirt and he felt really comfortable in that. He didn't see why that was not good enough to be worn in front of the King of the Downworld.

"Alec, that party was yesterday."

"What?" Alec was surprised. _Oh yeah_ , he thought, _I passed out after drinking once the mission was done. That's why I lost track of time_. "Oh god." The horror started to dawn on him. "I don't have a shirt to wear!" He started to panic, for he had nothing to wear in front of _Magnus Freaking Bane_ , only to see Lydia this time rolling her eyes at him.

"Alec, wear that shirt that I bought for you," she advised. Lydia was always a practical person, always looking for solutions for a problem rather than support. But at the moment, he advice wasn't sitting well with Alec.

"That white shirt with the weird cuffs?" Alec asked in mock horror. He got that shirt as a gift from Lydia but never had worn it. The tag was still  attached to it.

Lydia raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, what's the problem with that? I've never seen you wear it." Alec gulped at the sight of Lydia's challenging stare.

"Uh, nope. There's nothing wrong with it." _It's a little too tight and itchy around the cuffs_ , Alec mentally added. Of course, he couldn't add that as an argument unless he has a death wish. Lydia gave a huge smile and said a "Good" before leaving the room with a snickering Raj in tow.

"God damn it." Alec said out loud in the empty training room. The denim shirt couldn't be _that_ bad? Maybe he could still wear it and if Lydia sees him in it, he could say there was nothing wrong with it in the first place.

But Raj was right. He couldn't wear that stinking shirt in front of Magnus Bane. He remembered waking up and smelling himself and nearly gagging. He stunk _so_ bad. He smelled of a mixture of demon ichor and...

Vomit.

 _Who_ _the hell puked on him_? Because he surely didn't remember doing it.

He tried to remember who did last night. "RAJ!" He yelled as he stormed out of the room in anger and could hear a small 'oh shit' from the end of the hallway.

~~  ~~  ~~

"Oh my God, Alec! You look so  handsome!" Isabelle squealed, as she rushed into the room around half an hour before their guest was going to arrive. "You are wearing what Lydia gave you! I'm so proud."

"I'm not proud of doing this," Alec muttered, looking at himself in the mirror. He couldn't breathe because the shirt was really tight around his chest area. The shirt was white color, the sleeves ending around the elbows with thick cuffs decorated with twirling white line against a black backdrop. He had a pocket on the left side of his chest, which also had a small lining of the similar design as the cuffs. The top half of his collar was decorated in the same manner. His shirt button were of gold color, looking prim and clean against the white color of his shirt.

"Stop fiddling with your cuffs!" Isabelle commanded. Alec immediately dropped his hands from his elbows, but moved the right hand to the left elbow a second later to soothe an itch.

"But it itches!" Alec whined, which he usually didn't do but only to Jace and Isabelle. "Stupid Raj and his stupid weak stomach and that stupid demon-"

"The denim shirt was ruined after last night, huh?" Isabelle  giggled. "Can't say that I'm not glad because you at least have worn this." She inspected the shirt once more. "Also, I need to go shopping with Lydia. I didn't know she had a taste."

"Please don't buy me anything like this ever again, with both of you together," Alec begged, scratching his elbows once more, then Isabelle grabbed both of his hands and forced them down.

"Honestly, Alec stop thinking about it and you won't feel a thing," she hissed. "Now, come on, we need to be standing there for at least fifteen minutes before the King arrives."

The younger sister pushed her older brother out of the room with a forceful push of her forearm. Alec grunted and just glared at her before straightening up and walking out. They reached the entrance of the Institute in three minutes with quite a few people assembled there, ready to welcome the King of the Downworld into their home. He could see eager faces that were akin to Jace's, holding the same excitement in meeting the King.

"You guys, I can't stand," Jace came to both of them eagerly, his was bouncier than normal, and this was off _adrenaline_. "We're going to meet a legend!"

"Actually, Jace." Lydia came to their little circle, putting a hand on Jace's shoulder. "I know your parents have gone to Idris for the night to bring some documents, but you have been dispatched to handle some demons at the Central Park along with Raj after the ceremony is done. I'm so sorry."

 _I knew it_ , Alec thought disdainfully.  His parents weren't happy with Jace's joy to meet the man he looked up that they made sure that he didn't meet him even though they're not even with them at the moment. Jace's shoulders hunched over and began to look a bit annoyed.  Yup, Alec's annoyance level with his parents just went over the rooftop.

"It's okay, Lydia," he said, forcing a small smile on his face. "I'll talk to him properly some other time."

Lydia returned the small smile with an apologetic one of her own and turned towards Alec, trying to change the topic. "Alec! You look really good!" she appraised him. Alec felt a small blush coming onto his face when he realized that he has garnered a bit of attention from people around him with his choice of outfit for the greeting.

"Thanks, Lyds," he said quietly. Everyone started to take their positions quietly, standing against on either side of the war, forming a line. Some of them held flower bouquets in their hands while the others held spears, to make the procession look more intimidating.  Alec stood in middle of the two lines, awaiting for the King to arrive.

Ten minutes passed and no one said a word, but the hum of energy buzzed slightly. Alec could hear the occasional squeals of excitement from Lydia, Isabelle and Raj, who were standing behind him. Jace was standing technically beside him, facing Alec's side, trying to conceal a smile too. No one seemed to be able to stand still. Alec noticed that most of the important and oldest shadowhunters have gone to Idris, along with his parents, for the night. The younger and more aloof ones were there to greet Magnus, thus the buzz of excitement.

The only who was standing with a stiff posture was Alec. Unlike, the others, he wasn't experiencing the joys of enthusiasm for the King's arrival. He was hoping that he won't stammer or beome clumsy all of a sudden. The last thing he needed was to go to the training room that night and beat the poor punching bag to death due to his probable embarrassment. His eyes kept darting to Jace and the door, almost trying to convince himself to put Jace in his position. Since, his parents aren't here, no one would know whether Alec did welcome the King or not. And Jace would also get to show off his charms (which he doesn't need an occasion for) and be more bold in front of the King in words.

After another five minutes, the sounds of a couple of footsteps reached all the young shadowhunters' ears. Everyone stood to attention, including Alec, his palms sweating a tad too much. He could hear the mutter of a few voices but couldn't place which was Magnus Bane's. He heard a loud British voice complaining ''How dull are they?" and "By the Lilith, no wonder they prefer to hunt demons!".

Alec really hoped _that person_ wasn't the King.

The doors open with hesitance, almost the one opening it was thinking that maybe this was a bad idea. The opened doors revealed three people, standing side by side. The ones standing on the sides were the ones who had opened the doors, going by the position of their palms resting on the flat surface of it. The one on the right was a middle age man, with two horns protruding out of his forehead, a permanent frown on his face. A warlock. The one on the left was tall man (taller than even Alec), dark skin and kind eyes sweeping through the lines of shadowhunters before resting on Alec. He offered him a kind smile to which Alec gave a nervous one of his own.

Alec's smile was about to be passed to the man standing in the middle who he didn't inspect properly before, when his the smile began to fade at once from his face, transforming into a look of awe. The man in the middle was astoundingly beautiful. He was of Asian descent, with smooth golden skin and gold glittering eyeliner, lining his eyes to make his kind eyes pop. His  hair was gelled up to make gentle coif, few strands landing on his face. The tips of those strands were highlighted with dark blue color. He wore a slightly pink shade of lipstick, making his lips look more pouty.

And his outfit. _Oh_ , his outfit. Alec may faint if he stared at those biceps any longer. The man wore a slim hazy blue blazer, with the shoulder blades decorated with golden leaf prints. He was wearing a white shirt underneath, with a black bowtie, also brushed with few golden prints. His tight black pants made his legs long and lean. Alec's throat suddenly felt dry.

He was so... _ethereal_.

 _Breathtaking_.

He snapped out of his reverie when he heard a man clear his throat. His eyes went back to the beautiful man's eyes and saw him giving a knowing smile _. Oh shit_ , Alec thought, _he saw me checking him out_.

Alec tried to snap a smile back onto his face that didn't make him look stupid and walked over to the man. This man stood out among the other two, it was obvious that he was the one and only Magnus Bane.

"Welcome to the New York Institute, your Highness," Alec greeted, his last two words going a bit high pitched because he nearly called him something else. Thankfully, the well dressed man smiled.

"Well, that's me!" Magnus spoke, his voice very smooth and relaxing. Alec instantly felt at ease. Also he was thankful he wasn't the British one. "I would've come here earlier had I know that I would've been seeing your beautiful face firsthand." He winked at Alec, making the shadowhunter feel weak in the knees and ready to faint. His head buzzed slightly with dizziness, almost as if he consumed a strong drink.

"We are very honored to have you here," Alec said, trying to ignore what Magnus' compliment but his blush made it evident that he had heard it. He have a slight bow to the majestic man in front of him when he felt something tickle the back of his neck. He prayed that a spider hadn't suddenly decided to bounce on him when he was in front of the most beautiful man he had ever seen.

He hear a few panicked gasps coming from behind him, which he recognized as Isabelle's and Lydia's. He could hear Jace muttering a low "What?" and then a "Oh shit".

_Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Just talk to the King a bit more and then allow him to be escorted him to his room._

"We have prepared three rooms for all of you!" Alec exclaimed, wincing at how forcing his cheerful voice had gotten. Magnus even looked a bit taken aback by his loud voice. "Raj will take you to your rooms and we will have dinner together later!" Every word became more high pitched than the last. _Damn that spider.No, wait, it couldn't be a spide. It would've been crawling all over him by now_.

_Why now? Why today? Why in this lifetime?_

"O-kay," Magnus said, confusedly, pulling at the man on his right's arms and allowing himself to be taken away by Raj. His two companions followed him quietly, giving him peculiar looks. Ale  stood in his place, his eyes scrunched close. He stood still until he could hear their retreating footsteps walking out of the hallway and into an another corridor.

"Oh God, what is it?" Alec blurted, turning to his siblings finally.  " _What the hell is on my shirt_?"

"Alec, you didn't cut the _damn tag_ on your shirt!" Isabelle yelled. She turned back to see the rest of the shadowhunters standing there with confused faces. "Somebody get a pair of scissors!"

"I got it!" Raj yelled, rushing into the hallway with his arm raised and a pair of safety scissors in his fist. Isabelle grabbed the pair and snapped off the large bright yellow tag from Alec's collar.

"Please, tell me Magnus Bane didn't see that," Alec pleaded to Jace. His brother just gave a shrug and a grin.

"Couldn't tell. Although, the guy with the horns may had seen. He snorted when he went past you," Jace admitted. Isabelle just gave an uneasy smile to her now-relaxed older brother.

"Well, that's not _terrifyingly_ embarrassing," Alec said, his head down low, staring at the yellow tag in Isabelle's hand. He began to slowly smile. "It was quite funny actually." Jace, Isabelle, Lydia and Rag gave a series of nervous chuckles which transcended into bright laughter. What? It was the truth. At least, _Magnus Godly Bane_ didn't see it.

"Yeah, clearly Magnus Bane _tagged_ you _it_ ," Jace said, lifting the discarded clothes tag with his thumb and forefinger. He turned to everyone and exclaimed out loud. "Get it? Tag!" He held up the tag a bit higher to prove a point.

"What in hell are you talking about, Jace?" Alec asked, squinting his eyes and shaking his head at his parabatai.  Jace gave him a surprised look.

"What? You didn't notice that _The Magnus Bane_ was so obviously _checking you_ _out_?" Jace asked incredulously.

 _No_ , Alec mentally thought, _because I was too busy checking **him** out_.

"Uh, no? Alec asked bemused at why would his instant crush be checking him out. His eyes widened with a mixture shock and horror. "By the angel, was he?"

"Yes, Alec!" Isabelle said enthusiastically, holding both Alec's hands in her own. "I was standing _way_ behind you and _I_ noticed."

So Alec wasn't the only one affected in the welcoming. He felt slightly giddy at the thought of an another man that _he_ likes, checking him out. It made him eager to know more about this sparkly King. However, the realistic side of Alec knew very well that a man like Magnus is way out of his league. He was a downworlder therefore, had the mandatory distrust for shadowhunters that every downworlder seemed to have. The biggest factor of them all is that he is a goddamn King. Alec is just a civilian compared to his status. Why would a powerful person like him want to go out with someone as plain as Alec?

Alec mentally told himself that there was no chance of him ever going _that_ close to a force of being like Magnus. He better avoid him for the better in these few days. It was no use and would just bring his hopes up. Thank God that the warlock didn't stay anywhere near Alec, making possibility of an chnace of them meeting and have small talk ever again. Alec would just entertain while he stays in this Institute. After that, he is going to say goodbye to that enchanting enigma for the rest of his life.

"Alec?" Jace voice brought him out of his head. He looked to see that his sister and his other two friends have disappeared to do god knows what. Only Jace remained behind. "I have to go for that demon mission, I'll only come back after eleven in the night."

"Oh," Alec blurted, inspecting Jace's face to see any signs of sadness. Looks like his brother emerged strong from his parents' intervention. But Alec is going to push him to be happier. "How about this? Take Raj and Bruce with you for the mission. You'll be back her by nine with them. And then-" Alec leant down to whisper in Jace's ear mischievously. "-we'll go have a chat with Magnus Bane."

Jace's eyes widened and mouth gaped at parabatai. "Wait how?" Alec rolled his eyes.

"Mom instructed me to have some small talk with him to make him comfortable here. And I'm active Head of the Institute... for the night, anyways. What I'm trying to say is that everything she has said is null and..." Alec trailed off, letting a smirk appear on his face to ease Jace. "...void."

"Sweet, time to slide down the rails of the stairways with seraph blades."

"I wouldn't got that far, " Alec warned. He let a good natured smile take over his face. " Now go, parabatai." Jace gave a light laugh, his eyes twinkling with gratefulness.

"I like this side of you, Alec. The defiant gay leader who will do anything to burst his homophobic parents' vein," Jace admired, putting his hands over Alec's shoulders, smiling at him with pride.

Alec had to admit, he likes the way he is leaving his life right now. He likes receiving these proud smiles from Isabelle and Jace (Max is still confused about the entire situation; he doesn't get why his parents have been so distant with his eldest brother). He felt the all his life, he has been working hard to be validated by the wrong people. But now that he is working for himself, he feels the love and support he is given from his loved ones was what he had needed all along. He feels sufficient. He feels... honorable.

"Okay, I'm heading out," Jace announced, starting to go to look for his other two companions. "I'll be back earlier than expected, I guess," he said giddily. Alec reached out to hold his arm when he was about leave, remembering something.

"Hey, could you get those really good chocolates we eat from _Ramsey's_?"

Jace frowned. "The ones that look like really tiny decorated chocolate cakes?"

"Yeah those ones."

~~  ~~  ~~

Alec stood  in front of the Institute, outside in the chilly weather. The winds were blowing roughly, making Alec's loose jacket flap around his skin constantly. He was waiting for his brother to come back after the mission. It was around nine thirty and Alec really hoped that Magnus wasn't planning to go to sleep any moment now. He has been holding off from talking to him, keeping the promise of talking to him properly in the company of Jace.

Alec tried to call Jace up, to persist to arrive faster, but it went to voicemail. Alec prayed that Jace wasn't _still_ hunting demons despite having two people with him. The wind blew around Alec, making him wrap his jacket around him tighter.

 It was fall in New York, making the area a bit few degrees lower than normal. Alec always loved the season though; he loves the color of the leaves of the trees and sometimes took photos of it. He had bought a camera few years ago when he went shopping with his sister. His sister felt guilty that she buying so much for herself and Alec was just following her around. She demanded him to buy an item for himself otherwise she would make him walk around the mall for a few years. Since the latter offer didn't interest him enough, he had begun to scour the mall for anything he liked. In the end, he picked a modest camera that was of his liking.

He would take photos of everything, provided if he had the time. Due to his duties, it was very infrequent for him to pursue his quaint little hobby. He would sometimes take pictures of his friends and family without them noticing. He cherished those pictures a lot, even making photo album for him to keep it all in one place.

He looked down on the ground, to hide a tiny smile from all the passersby, remembering the one _adorable_ picture he took of Max. He was laughing at something that Alec had said. No one laughed at anything funny that Alec had said. But that day, Max did. And Alec felt so warm inside that he was thankful his camera was in his hand for him to take the quick snap. Max was laughing so hard that he didn't mind Alec's joyous action.

"Hey Alec!" Jace's voice flew in the wind. Alec looked to his left to see his brother, Raj and another shadowhunter, Bruce, jogging towards the entrance of the Institute. They all seemed in good shape, not a scratch to be seen on them. There was no sign of blood loss either. Alec ocncluded that the demon mission was something aggressive after all.

Jace held a medium sized  but wide box in his hand, with a blue bow tied around it. He was panting a bit when he reached Alec, and lifted the box to show him."See? I got the chocolates and even asked them to tie a bow around it. Considering it's a present after all." Jace took a few moments to breathe while Raj and Bruce rushed inside to escape the cold.

"How did you know?" Alec asked his brother, stunned at how easily Jace had read him.

"How did I know what? That you wanted to gift chocolates to Magnus?" Jace scoffed. "Come on , man. I know what you're thinking. And by the way, I think giving chocolates to Magnus is good way to start the courtship." Jace winked at his bashful brother.

Alec's blush spread to the tip of his ears. "I wasn't- I wasn't planning on asking him out," Alec stuttered. He cut off Jace before he could ask him anymore questions. "You have to go freshen up and wear something else."

Jace rolled his eyes and gave light punch to Alec's shoulder. "I know, and I promise, I will just take five minutes. You can even have me on a timer."

True to his word, Jace did take four minutes and forty nine seconds to dress appropriately (yes, Alec actually DID use the timer to monitor Jace's timing). When he emerged out of his room, he was wearing a light blue dress shirt tucked in smartly in his black trousers. Alec gave a nod of approval to his brother, instantly brightening up his mood. They hastily walked together down hallways, in peaceful silence, giving excited looks to each other from time to time.

They found themselves facing the door of Magnus' room. Sounds of shuffling were being heard inside and few hushed voices, indicating that the King was not alone in his room. Alec, very slowly and very hesitantly, placed three solid knocks on the door. The shuffling and the voices ceased at once. He could hear footsteps walking towards the door, no doubt to let them in, when it stopped by a  loud whisper by the British man.

_"Assassin!"_

_"Oh for God's sake, it's not an assassin!"_

_"It very much might be!"_

_"No it's not, Ragnor!"_

_"If you die, I swear to Lillith I will steal your shoe collection."_

_"Your feet are of a fucking dinosaur. And it's not an assassin so therefore I will not die!"_

_"When we're all dead, I will bully you in Hell."_

A third voice boomed out, making the other two voices collect themselves. _"You are the two of the most powerful warlocks, you can handle a damn assassin!"_

The footsteps began again, advancing towards door. Sounds of the lock being unhatched were heard by the two bemused shadowhunters outside. Once the door opened, a very skeptical Magnus Bane stepped. However, the moment his eyes landed on Alec's face, a grin rose prominent on his face.

"Well! Two quirky shadowhunters are standing at my door!" Magnus exclaimed, smirking and turning his head to address the people inside. "See, Ragnor? No assassins," Magnus paused and then turned back to the two boys with a raised eyebrow. "Unless, you are what we think you are."

Alec froze with his eyes widened comically. He began choking to offer some rejection of the idea but he was stammering too much. This is what he gets when he stares at Magnus' face too much. Luckily, Jace saves him.

"We can't even consider the idea," Jace cut in, looking way more collected than Alec. "We've just come here to give you and your companions brief introductions of us and the entire Institute," Jace explained, starting to look a bit flushed with doubt. Magnus stared at the two of them before his face claimed the previous grinning look on his face.

"I know, I was just messing with both of you," Magnus chuckled. He opened the door a bit wider. "Why don't the two of you come in? I'll also introduce you to my minions."

" _You fucking wish_."

Magnus flinched. "That's Ragnor. Very cactus-like. Hate him. Feel free to hate him too." The two shadowhunters gave a simultaneous nervous chuckle and followed the King inside to his room.

The room was one of the biggest the Institute had. The bed was in the shade of chocolate brown, with white embroidery on it, making majestic designs. It looked like Magnus had made himself quite comfortable in the room. His blazer was draped over a chair, a suitcase was resting on the bed and Magnus himself, looked at ease. His shirt had no signs of rumple though, but he had removed his shoes and his shirt was rolled up to his elbows.

 _Biceps_ , a dreamy voice in Alec's head said. Alec shook his head to try get that weird voice out of his head. He turned to see that even Jace was looking shyly around the room. Who would've thought that two shadowhunters would be feeling very nervous in the own home.

"Your duties extend to the bedroom too?" A voice asked, which turned out to be Magnus'. He was perched on the bed, sitting there like a King would, with his back straight and a leg over the other."That would be such a bad experience for your significant others." Magnus smirked.

"Oh no," Alec said, deciding to ease his nerves by talking with the friendly warlock. "We're both very single. Me the most, to be honest," he joked. He could feel Jace relaxing by the comment too.

"Well, I can see why," a grumpy voice stated. Two men were sitting on two chairs around the small table provided the room. Alec assumed the kind man was the one with the very deep voice and the horned warlock was the cactus-like Ragnor.

Magnus rolled his eyes while Jace tensed up once more. "Ragnor, stop being so prickly. You're just jealous that he is more prettier than you." Jace relaxed once more by Magnus' defense. Magnus turned to them once more. He motioned towards the bed. " Both of you can sit, you know."

Alec gulped. "If-if that's okay with you... your Highness," Alec said hesitantly.

"Oh, of course I'm fine with it!" Magnus said, not believing the boy's shyness. "And call me Magnus." He turned to Jace. "Both of you can call me Magnus."

Alec and Jace shared one last look before sitting down on the bed, close to each other in fear of being too close to Magnus without his consent. Magnus still seemed unfazed by their shy behavior, rather looking at them with curiosity. "I completely forgot, I should also introduce you to my other best friend, Luke Garroway." Magnus held his hand out to present his friend. Luke turned out to be the man with the deep voice and kind expression. He gave them a polite nod before glancing back at Ragnor. "He is a werewolf. An Alpha at that too." Magnus winked at both of them, before going silence. He was expecting something from both of them.

Alec realized that Magnus was testing them.

He was testing to see their reactions towards the presence of two warlocks AND a werewolf. He was trying to detect a possible oncoming flinch from either of them or a look of disgust. But to his clear surprise, the two young shadowhunters didn't make a move. Except Jace, who leaned slightly forward in amazement.

"A werewolf?" Jace asked curiously, his widened. Luke gave a cautionary nod. "Do you have a beta?" Jace blurted out, too eager to start any other type of formality. This way, he earned surprised looks from everyone in the room.

"Why, yes," Luke politely replied. He still seemed tensed to Alec but was pleasantly caught off guard by Jace's question.

"Where is he?" Jace asked once again. This time everyone just looked at him in amusement.

"He's back home," Luke answered coolly. "His name is Alaric and he is one of my closest friends."

"Wow, just one more question. I read somewhere that parabatai and the alpha-beta bond is kind of similar?" Jace was at the edge of the bed, almost about to fall off. Alec raised his eyebrows at the fact that Jace was reading subjects that they were not vastly educated on. He felt an odd sense of pride for his brother's curiosity. He had it himself but recently, the training he received began to plunder the no-questions memo into his mind. He had questions too but never could find a book with the sufficient information. And he didn't have time to peer into every book in their library for the smallest of hints about the downworlder community.

Luke gave a deep laugh that lasted for five seconds, instantly reliving the tension in the room. "Not exactly, very different but none is undervalued." Luke paused for a bit, as if he was thinking of saying the next piece of information.  "I used to be a shadowhunter once, so I had a parabatai. I know the difference quite well."

This time Alec asked the question. "You were turned?" he leaned forward slightly , not the extent Jace had though.

Luke paused once again. He looked at Ragnor who gave a disinterested shrug which made Luke purse his lips in betrayal. He looked at Magnus who gave a comforting nod. Luke turned back to the young men and gave a nod. "Yes."

Thus Luke began to launch a tale of his past shadowhunter training, how he became a downworlder and how is now happy life was reigning over. Ragnor constantly interrupted with snide remarks and few reminders of Luke's embarrassments, which made everyone in the room give chuckles and laugh now and then.

Alec kept taking side glances at the highly acclaimed King, admiring him for a few seconds. He was listening to Luke intently, though Alec was sure that he may have heard this before. Whenever Alec asked a question, he could see Magnus' vision catching him every time. He barely resists to turn and look into his eyes. And every time Jace asked a question, Magnus would just glance at the blonde one and then take a long look at Alec as if he had spoken instead of Jace. Alec had blushed deeply when he noticed the King doing that frequently, albeit, slightly pleased with the attention.

Besides the beautiful distraction next to Alec, he was really paying attention to what Luke was saying. Both Jace and his mouths had dropped when they had found out that Valentine used to be Luke's parabatai, and now, Valentine's wife and daughter were currently residing in Magnus' palace. Both Jace and Alec had turned to Magnus to ask "Really?" to which he gave a confirming nod. That was the first time Alec and Magnus had a proper eye contact. The insides of Alec were swooning and his stomach was feeling light, with a fluttering feeling in it.

"Your brother is really curious for a shadowhunter," a voice whispered near his ear. Alec whipped his head to the side to see that Magnus had shifted a bit closer to him throughout the conversation, and was now leaning towards him to whisper. Alec looked at him and parted his lips in fascination. Magnus was truly beautiful.

Alec pretended to not be affected by Magus's light, warm breath on the soft spot below his deflect rune. He took in a hard swallow and opened his mouth to speak. "We've been cut off from the world most of the time. When something exciting come, my sister and him especially would do anything to enjoy every moment of it," Alec breathed out. He was slightly concerned at how deep his words sounded and how they slurred at certain words. It was almost like he was getting light-headed in Magnus' presence.

Magnus batted his eyelashes up at Alec. "And you?" He asked, his voice sounding even more smoother. He licked his lips for a quick second, but not too quick for Alec to not notice.

Alec swallowed once again."I'm open for anything, as well," Alec answered, his voice too breathless. His breath even made Magnus' styled hair sway slightly at one part. "But I usually don't pursue or instigate any fun at first," he finished, his voice sounding a bit more like his usual one.

Magnus gave him a seductive smirk. "I love a challenge," he just said, before paying attention to what Luke was saying. Alec eyes widened slightly. He could feel his eyebrows angled slightly in surprise as well.

He was so done for.

Forget him being the assassin. Magnus was going to assassinate _him_ with this flirty behavior.

After the entire exchange, Alec couldn't focus on what Luke was saying. He mind was being drifted off often by everything Magnus had said, trying to figure a meaning out in his words. He eyes began to droop a bit, feeling relaxed by the overwhelming aura next to him. When he tried to pay attention again, he found that Ragnor had now launched into a tale of his own, with Luke shaking his head in disbelief and his parabatai snorting and giving a few chuckles.

Magnus was looking at everyone calmly, like he wasn't as affected as Alec was after their secretive conversation. Alec felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise when he felt Magnus lean towards him again. "You said you have a sister?" Magnus asked inquiringly. Alec gave a small nod without looking at him, trying to focus on what Ragnor was saying. "Is it the lovely Isabelle I had the pleasure of meeting earlier?"

The quirky question was the one that made Alec finally look at Magnus again. But this time, he was more relaxed. The mention of his sister always makes him feel more comfortable with his surroundings. He could go on and on about his sister's accomplishments in life, without ever stopping. She has achieved far too many milestones in her life compared to other people her age. Whenever she came with any good news about how she was praised for a certain mission or even the smallest of things, like how she managed to make coffee without breaking the machine, Alec would always pick her up and spin her around in joy and pride. And seeing Isabelle giving him 'I made my big brother proud' never failed to put a smile on his face.

"Yeah," Alec said softly. He felt the corners of his mouth lifting up in a half smile. "You had the chance to talk to her?"

Magnus gave a soft smile in return. "Yeah, she's really sweet. Couldn't stop complimenting my outfit." Magnus gave a small shake of his head. "Can't say she has bad tastes. Her dress today was beautiful as well. I mean, she's beautiful too," Magnus added the last part hurriedly, not wanting Alec to take any wrong idea.

Alec looked down at the space between them. Despite Alec being tall, he had a habit of slouching at times. But Magnus stood straight, making him appear taller than his actual height. His shoulder was almost touching Alec's, and his side profile was quite near Alec's neck rune. It's almost their gravitating towards each other.

Magnus shifted a bit to peer at Alec's side. His eyes narrowed in confusion. "What is that thing you are holding from the time you came here?" Magnus asked. By now, Jace was sharing some of his tales, explaining animatedly. Alec looked at his other hand to see that he was still holding the box of chocolates he had got for Magnus.

 _So **that's** what I was forgetting to do_ , Alec thought stupidly. He was about to roll his eyes at himself and face palm himself for forgetting to give the gift to Magnus when Jace spoke directly to him, loudly. "Dude, did you actually forget to give him the chocolates?"'

Alec glared at him. "It was an accident." He turned to Magnus to see him watching him in amusement.

"That's for me?" he asked slowly, expectantly.

"Uh, yeah," Alec said, holding out the towards Magnus which he took reluctantly. "I'm so sorry, I was so caught up with what was happening that I-"

"It's quite alright, Alec," Magnus assured. He looked at Jace for a second. "Chocolates, you say?" Jace gave a quick nod and an exasperated look to Alec. "Well, that's good. I was desperately needing something sweet right now," Magnus cheerfully said, looking at Alec when he said 'sweet'. Alec held in an embarrassed moan.

Magnus untied the bow gracefully, taking his time. "So these chocolates... are they-"

"Oh these are just some of my siblings and I favorites. They're basically in the shape of small cakes," Alec explained, gesturing towards the now opened box. They were about four rows of chocolates, with three in each. Magnus hummed in delight.

"Oh these look delicious. Since these are your favorite, they will definitely be my favorite." Magnus winked at Alec again. He regarded each flavor with a long look, his eyebrows furrowed and lips pouting, trying to make a decision. He looked up at Alec with a bit of a lost look. "Which one should I taste first?"

Alec smiled at how Magnus was looking for his opinion in the flavors. He did have a favorite, of course. It was the blackcurrant flavor. The chocolate had an overall grape shade of purple, lined with red frosting to make it look like a pastry. Alec picked up the chocolate of that flavor with a bit of a struggle because of his huge fingers, but surfaced victorious when he managed to grab a hold of it. The chocolate looked really tiny in his palm, almost the size of a normal size eraser. He held out the chocolate to Magnus shyly, in the little space between them.

"You could try this?"Alec suggested shyly, looking at Magnus with expectant eyes. Magnus looked at him for a long second, his eyes searching something from his face, before looking down at the chocolate resting on Alec's outstretched hand.

Magnus lifted his hand slightly to accept the sweet, his little finger touching Alec's shirt's breast pocket slightly. The innocent touch made Alec feel his chest moving up and down very vividly. His chest felt a comforting warmth spreading around, and a slight fluttering movement. Alec had to lick his lips due to the sudden dryness.

As Magnus was about to pick up the chocolate, Alec shut his eyes, waiting for the contact. Suddenly, he felt something like a brush of a mouth on his palm, picking up the chocolate. Alec opened his eyes in shock to whether Magnus had actually eaten the chocolate in one bite from his own palm, only to see that Ragnor was now standing in front of the duo, munching on the chocolate.

Magnus' hand was frozen halfway, his face looking up at Ragnor with a gaping expression. "Ragnor, what. The. Fuck?" he snarled. He was glaring up at his General, for his peculiar action.

Ragnor kept chewing on the chocolate thoughtfully. "Checking for poison," he said casually. He chewed a bit more. "But the boy is right. This tastes _heavenly_."

"Yeah, and _I_ would know, right?" Magnus said sarcastically. He huffed out loud at Ragnor's blasphemy. Alec's face was frozen, his one eyebrow raised, but one side of his lip held up in an amused smirk. It's like he didn't know whether to be horrified by the General's protective nature towards Magnus or amused.

Jace and Luke was full blown laughing. Luke was doubled over in his chair, while Jace had finally fallen off the bed and was on his knees, clutching his stomach.

"It's okay, Magnus," Alec finally found his voice. He pointed at the box. "There are two for each flavor," he assured, feeling a bit pleased with the ease in the air. Magnus huffed again in annoyance, picking up the chocolate and slowly raising it into his mouth. He kept glancing at Ragnor in warning should he try the erratic operation again. He finally placed it in his mouth and took a soft bite. Soon he gave a low moan at what Alec's suspects, the chocolate melting into his mouth.

"You're so right." Magnus groaned again in satisfaction. "This tastes so good."

Alec gave a smile of his own. "Told you so."

Soon, Magnus offered some of his chocolates to his friends. Jace and Alec took one each shyly, not understanding how kind and generous the King is. The next few minutes was just them eating their candies, making comments on how amazing their chosen flavor tasted.

Magnus took a small bite of another chocolate before focusing his attention on Alec. "So Alec, what do you do for kicks these days?" he asked casually. Alec hummed in confusion before opening his mouth to answer.

"I'm not much of an adrenaline person. I mean, if my stamina rune was still active, sure, I would be quite daring," Alec said slowly, trying to not to reveal too much.

Jace scoffed next to him. " The only daring thing you did when your stamina rune was burning was not filling in your report that we had got the same day. And," Jace said hurriedly, before Alec could cut in with a defense. "The report was only due next week."

Alec grumbled slightly when Magnus and his friends laughed quietly. Magnus looked a bit amused and enchanted with Alec's presence, no matter what he did. The King drummed his fingers slightly against the box, in anticipation.

"So you are a dutiful person?" Magnus asked. "I mean, are you a man with responsibility?"

"You could say that," Alec answered gravely. Jace was now looking down at his fingers fiddling with each other. "I was raised this way. I don't know any better," Alec spat bitterly. His recollection of his  years at the Institute always put him in a slight foul mood. On the other hand, he had the most supportive siblings and friends, but on the other, he was on a leash by the Clave. His dream of having the Institute under his care was so far away, yet so pleasing. He wanted to be in charge _so bad_. He wanted to fix everything that went wrong with the shadowhunter business. His sexuality was posing a bit of a problem for him.

"Do you want to take over the Institute one day?" Magnus asked, voicing out Alec's aspiration.

Alec gave a slow nod. He blinked his eyes to keep in his sorrowful and angry tears in. "I do, but the only problem coming between me and my dream is _me_ ," he said sourly.

"What do you mean?" Magnus inquired. His eyes were curious but at the same time hurt for Alec's behalf.

"I'm gay," Alec blurted. "Just what the Clave doesn't need in a Head." He chuckled emptily, feeling numb. He was so used to waking up every day, and trying to please his superiors, strenuously displaying to them that no matter what he preferred in a partner, he was as efficient as any counterpart of a shadowhunter. But it looked like they couldn't see anything past their old ideologies, which stood in front of them like the bars of a cage.

"That's shouldn't stop you," Magnus quietly said, looking down at Alec's hands. He seemed to be in quite a shock with the beliefs of the Clave. Alec was so far gone to be surprised.

"If I was the Head, I would do anything, _anything_ , to fix our alliance," Alec said. He didn't know why he had said that, but he felt like blurting it. He wanted Magnus to know that he sees downworlders as equals. And he always will. Ragnor and Luke were looking at him with raised eyebrows, they eyes glassy with shock at what Alec had just said. Magnus was also surprised .

"You would?" Magnus asked silently, his voice hoarse. He was looking at Alec's face with great intensity, trying to capture his eyes. Alec granted his wish, and looked into Magnus' dark and intelligent eyes.

"Yes," he replied, his own voice raspy. Magnus swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing against his smooth skin. He looked down again, as if not being able to handle the truthfulness in Alec's hazel eyes.

The next few minutes were of warm silence. He could see that the downworlders were quite tired after their long journey and their exciting conversation. Jace silently suggested to Alec that they should leave since it's late. They got up slowly and shook everyone's hands, apologizing for keeping them up this late. The downworlders waved their hands and dismissed their apologies saying they didn't mind.

When it was Alec's turn to say goodnight to Magnus, he halted to admire his beauty once more. Magnus looked up at him with sadness and regret. "Would you do anything to repair our estranged relationship with shadowhunters even if you're not the Head?" he asked lowly, his voice only reaching Alec's ears.

Alec took in a deep breath and paused for a minute to think. He got his answer. "I would," he answered finally, taking Magnus' hand to shake it slightly. "Goodnight, Magnus."

He left the room, following Jace who silently waiting in the hallway, his eyes drooping a bit after spending his energy in talking with their new friends. "Man, I can't wait to tell Isabelle about tonight," he said drowsily. Alec gave a low hum of agreement.

Surprisingly, the tingly feeling he got around Magnus was still present in his body. He was calm, and relaxed after such a long time. He had never been so open about his wistfulness with a stranger before. But the look in Magnus' eyes. The knowing look that he gave to him made him feel like he was wrapped in a blanket, with no care in the world, with no trouble, just him composed and tranquilized.

He wondered if there was a way for him to remain in contact with the dear King after all.

~~  ~~ ~~

"Was he the boy who the Clave had negotiated?" Ragnor asked gravely.

Magnus rubbed his eyes tiredly with on hand. "Yes, I was asking him those questions to see how badly he would take the news," Magnus replied, feeling his back aching a bit.

"And what was your conclusion?"

Magnus paused himself before going into his bathroom. "I think he won't take it that bad," he answered slowly, not sure of it himself. Luke shook his head slightly.

"Just remember, you're tying him to a fate that he may not like," Luke warned.

Magnus gave a dark chuckle. "Trust me, Luke. It's the same predicament for me as well."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay i still don't know how writers link their accounts a word so if anyone knows how to do that, please teach me. I'm hopeless *shrugs*  
> my tumblr is- justpresent or annplanet. I still don't know which one if the username or name itself. Forgive me  
> So what do you guys think?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec has a little crush  
> Magnus is pissed at Maryse' parenting skills.  
> Alec finds out  
> Th rest is... everywhere?  
> Also I tried to link my tumblr here so that no users can see the...well read the end notes before I spoil too much

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm back with the new chapter!  
> this chapter is till unbetaed because Aaya is still preparing for her MCATs . So if any of you haven't wished her a good luck, I would really urge you to do that so that once she comes back, she'll be exposed too all the Love :)  
> her twitter is @maleconmymind  
> Also again I'll say this... constructive criticism is fine by me. So if I have made any mistakes, please notify me in a respectable manner, and I'll change it.  
> Also thank you for all the kudos, bookmarks and COMMENTS! they were all amazing and I cried. I haven't replied to the comments on the last chapter but I will do it soon :)

~~~~[justpresent](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/justpresent)

**Chapter 3**

Alec groaned at the slither of sunlight reaching his pale face. The curtains were pulled to the very edge of the window, yet couldn't hold back the heating bright ray of the Sun.

Alec blinked slowly at the curtains, attempting at receiving his sight back from his blurry sleepy daze. After a few seconds, he could clearly make out the figure of his drapes, it's silhouette and the ripples surfing through the opaque material. The room was dimly lit, a slight gloom floating in the atmosphere. Alec's shoes were deposited messily near his bed; one boot fallen sideways while the other stood straight, but opened wide.

As for his nightwear... he wasn't wearing _any_ nightwear, he realized. In the back of his mind, he very well knew it was still folded neatly in the closet. He groggily looked down his lithe figure to see he was still wearing his dress shirt and slacks that he had worn the day before to please the King. He tried to slide a bit of the bed, hearing the crisp sounds his pants made doing the mere action, and managed to plant his feet firmly on the ground. He rubbed his eyes slightly and made slight lip smacking sounds to get rid of the excess drool lingering on his lips.

He attempted at putting pressure on his feet to get up. He succeeded ungracefully, but didn't pay any mind to his. He stretched his arms above his head, trying to wake them up, and then eventually settled it down in his hair, mussing it up further.

He walked to the bathroom to gather a hold of his toothbrush and toothpaste to get rid of his morning breath. Once reaching his small bathroom, he began to brush his teeth sloppily, his eyes opening partly and then drooping closed after every endeavor of keeping his eyes awake. Eventually he gave up and just leaned on the sink with one arm, and his eyes closed, almost dozing. He was in a very blissful state, but at the same time, very sleepy. He had spent the first hour of his attempt at sleeping last night, thinking about the magnificent Magnus Bane.

 _Magnus Gorgeous Bane_.

That name itself made his eyes open marginally, exposing a dreamy look to his reflection in the mirror. He gave slight smile, remembering the shatteringly beautiful enigma, who was surprisingly staying at the very household/office he has been growing up in for years.

A part of him was warning him to stay away from the King of the Downworld, for he will soon leave and may never return or encounter Alec's existence ever again. Another part of him (which oddly sounds like a mixture of all three of his siblings) was telling him that he should enjoy the King's company as much as he could. Be around that burning flame that threatens to burn him slightly, even if he doesn't touch it. The flame that cautions Alec of it devouring him and leaving a quagmire of remains behind. The flame that warned and alerted him, yet also promised of leaving warm fully satisfied melted wax behind. All the more that had sparked an enormous excitement within the cores of Alec's repressed self.

Alec's eyes opened wide once he thought of a plan of accompanying Magnus to his office for breakfast. The thought energized his hand to finish cleaning his teeth and fix his hair before splashing a great deal of water on his face to make him look like one of the living. He ran back to his room to get dressed, the same butterfly feelings erupting his stomach once again. If only anyone in the Institute saw him like this. Him. Alec, the 'scariest death glare ever' Lightwood. The 'I don't give a fuck' face Lightwood. The warrior Lightwood. The 'I didn't even cry when Mufasa died in Lion King' Lightwood.

...Okay that's what everyone thinks, but Izzy and Jace are unfortunately the contradicting side of that misconception.

The fact remained in Alec's stressed brain, that he was being very peculiar being around this Magnus Bane. Usually, it was Jace and Izzy that always had loved new challenges, adventures and the unknown of this world. Usually, if someone who was not a shadowhunter that arrived at the Institute and was at the same time attractive, Jace and Izzy would be the ones that give a definite meaning to statement 'moths to a flame'. Because that's what _they_ preferred. A breath of fresh air. A new thing to wake up to.

Alec thought that he was the only Lightwood who hadn't received the daring and adventurous genes that his other siblings got. Max was of course too young to be right now determining anything like that about himself. Therefore, Alec had always stapled himself as the 'boring' Lightwood. The one that never takes any risks. At first, Alec was a bit disheartened by that fact about himself, but in due overtime, he never found the problem with it. He would never get into trouble. He would always have a clean reputation, a clean enough reputation to have this Institute to himself one day.

But Magnus brought the bold side of him.

Maybe the daring genes of a Lightwood were always within him, but may have remained dormant. But with Magnus around, the genes began to go _crazy_. Because _now,_ Alec had even considered asking out Magnus out for a date. Although the notion was now aborted in his mind, he was still tingling to _just try_ and _ask_. He wondered if the entire political disqualification wasn't there, would the asking out thing would've been a bit more easier for him? The answer is a definite and yet a bitter, yes.

Alec shook his head to switch off his over thinking and began to punch through the sleeves of his black woolen jacket. He tucked in his shirt into his jeans as he was closing his room's door. He stood by the door, tapping on the door knob in thought whether what he was about to do would be a good idea. But the Lightwood risk taking genes were kicking and Alec even gelled his hair a bit. He was not going to back down when he had already prepared himself to be burned.

He began to walk briskly down the hallways, his eyesight constantly ricocheting between the walls. Fortunately, not many people were down the hallway to witness his nervous behavior. And those who were passing by him, didn't have their caffeine yet and looked pretty deadbeat to pay any attention to him.

He was about to make turn to enter into the hallway where Magnus' room was located when he heard a distinct grave voice. He stopped in his tracks when he realized that the voice belong to his mother, Maryse. He hid behind the wall quickly, not wanting to be seen gallivanting all way to the Downworlder King's room by his own mom. The last thing he would want his mom capturing him with her judgmental eyes and also putting  a ban on him from meeting Magnus during his stay.

He had put his back against the wall, breathing a bit quickly, losing a bit of his adrenaline and excitement to meet Magnus the more he heard his mom's voice. She was talking in a hushed voice with someone, whose answering of a voice Alec could not recognize. He tilted his head a bit out of the wall's range, to take a peek of what the hell was going on. Alec's brain mentally scolded himself for forgetting that his mom and dad would've been back from their very brief trip to Idris.

He saw his mom standing in the middle of the hallway, her hair left loose for once, and her high heels are not too big, but rather kitten heels. She was in her formal attire, talking in quick and secretive whispers to the man beside her. Alec recognized him as Victor Aldertree, one of the members of the Clave, also dressed in a formal suit. His hair was gelled partially, just like Alec's and his hands were behind his back, listening to Maryse's panicked rant.

They were standing in front of Magnus' door, looking like they were about to knock any minute. But they looked like they would rather just spit at the door and walk away. Alec narrowed his eyes at the two of them for their disrespecting front, even though Magnus wasn't personally in front of them to witness this distasteful treatment.

After what seemed like a long time of Alec craning his neck to spy on his mother and her colleague, they finally made the decision to knock on the door. Aldertree place three firm knocks on the door, the sounds resonating across the hallway. There were sounds of a bit of shuffling from the other side of the door, but it had ceased once the door was opened, revealing a stoic Magnus Bane standing on the other side.

He was dress slightly more casually than yesterday, just a simple pair of caramel colored pants and a burgundy color shirt with deep pink floral prints on it. The shirt was tucked into his pants, an enchanting belt with a 'MB' as its buckle. He looked like he was ready to walk to runway of a fashion show, appearing as fresh as ever. His makeup seemed to be minimal, just silvery white eye shadow, but with a jet black eyeliner to form subtle cat eyes. Alec could also seeing the shimmering highlight resting on Magnus' cheekbones. He had to hold in a breath to not gasp out loud and alert anyone of his hiding place.

The thing about Magnus was that, despite wearing all the colorful make up and clothes, he seemed to have a dark look on his face, that made his entire ensemble look darker and more ominous than it should be. This surprised Alec, because Magnus didn't seem to be this serious when they met for the first time. He was bright, smiling, but professional at the same time. That's what had brought Alec to ease and put him in a comfortable position when talking to him the day before. This side of Magnus made him freeze, scared for his life to do even attempt doing a wrong thing in front of Magnus.

"Maryse Lightwood. Victor Aldertree," Magnus greeted, his voice cool and guarded. The sound of his void-ish voice made a deep shiver go through Alec's spine, making him go a little more behind the wall in fear of being caught.

"Your Highness," Aldertree began, his charming British voice travelling smoothly through the air. "We're here to inspect whether you've had a comfortable stay at our lovely Institute, which we're also pleased that you chose by your own free will." Alec could see a slight change in Magnus' facial expression. Even though Alec was seeing the man from the left side, he could make out that Magnus was raising an incredulous eyebrow on the right side.

"And we also wanted to discuss the arrangement you had requested last week at our Clave meeting," Maryse added quickly. Clearly, she had seen that Magnus was not buying Aldertree's respectful bullshit.

"And that too," Aldertree agreed, nodding slightly. Magnus spent five seconds analyzing the two of the stiff shadowhunters with disdain and regret. For the first time, he looked like, to Alec, that he didn't want to be there at all. Alec slouched a bit more to study Magnus' expression, try to connect the pieces on what arrangement was the trio talking about.

All he saw were walls.

Magnus nodded solemnly, yet not moving away from the doorframe to let Alec's mom and Aldertree enter. "I met him last night," Magnus admitted quietly. Maryse looked partially livid from the exterior, but Alec knew she was fuming on the inside. Aldertree just looked bemused. It was clear that none of the shadowhunter duo wanted Magnus to meet the 'him' he just spoke about.

"You did?" Maryse hissed angrily. Alec saw Aldertree extend his hand to his mom to give a light squeeze on the arm. The secret message was caught on by Maryse, because her exterior started to put up a calm facade once again. She tried to give a tight smile but it looked like a painful grimace. "Well, you were going to meet him sooner or later, anyways. It's good thing you got a head start," she forced out, trying to make her voice sound amiable. Magnus just looked at the ground, without putting his head down from its high position. He looked very ashamed and regretful at the same time.

"I guess it's time to address the inevitable right?" Magnus snided, bitterly. He moved away from the doorframe to allow Maryse and Aldertree enter. After the shadowhunters hurried inside, Magnus looked left and right sides of the hallway. Alec had quickly side stepped to be hidden by the wall once again, praying that he wasn't caught of eavesdropping. He heard the silent sound of the door being closed, allowing him to be revealed once again.

He stood at the beginning of the corridor, staring at Magnus' room in puzzlement. He hadn't expected that type of hostility between Maryse and Magnus in their first meeting. Maryse looked like Magnus was personally snatching away something of hers that meant a lot to her. And Magnus looked like he was being forced to snatch it away due to moral duty.

From what Alec had gathered in the hushed conversation whispered in the hallway, was that Magnus was stuck to some type of a deal that had been made on the behalf of the Clave. The deal was also linked to some boy who lived in this Institute and had also met Magnus the day before. Alec tried to recount any male shadowhunter who he may have seen yesterday, that tried to strike a conversation with Magnus. But from what _he_ had only seen, him and Jace were the only ones to have addressed him personally.

Magnus could've met this person when Alec was too busy wallowing in self-embarrassment after the welcoming, or during the time when Jace had gone to hunt demons and Alec was (im)patiently waiting for him.

_But what if he was talking about you?_

Alec shook his head in disbelief that he would be stuck in some type of deal with a man like Magnus. He was barely considered in meetings and was always talked over. He could not imagine that his name would even come up as a suggestion during a serious meeting about the inter-species relations. And even if they did, surely Alec would've been notified of it? In order for him to be prepared of course. Magnus was a persona that has to be dealt with the utmost respect and advanced planning. That's why Alec was told a week ago about his arrival.

A fearful side of him said that what if they were talking about his parabatai, Jace. Maybe Jace was the guy that Magnus is stuck with some deal of sort. Alec wanted to find out more of this 'arrangement' so that he could warn his brother in time like the dutiful parabatai he is. But he also knew if he tried to eavesdrop once again, he would be for sure be caught, for now, clutters of shadowhunters began to strut down the hallway, looking more energized than ever.

Alec silently regarded the scenario and decided against it. He shook his head once again, and began to blend in with the other shadowhunters once he too started to walk away.

~~  ~~  ~~

"I'll have to ardently say," Magnus began, closing the door with a flourish. "I knew that you won't tell your own son about how he is tied to a destiny he may not have wished for," Magnus paused. "Scratch that, I know for certain that he does not want this." Magnus gave a mocking polite smile . "My memory whispers to me about last week, when you EXPLICITLY said that he won't mind marrying my beautiful, yet stranger soul."

Magnus walked to the small table whose tabletop was decorated with a beautiful bottle of vodka and clear cut glasses. Magnus graciously poured some for himself. "It's a celebrated pity when you find out that you know more about your fiancé-to-be than his own mother! And you just _fucking_ met him!" He picked up the glass with one hand and spread the other to emphasize on his sarcasm. "No wonder you thought he would get along with a stranger and easily call himself his husband," he spat out.

"Don't you dare _deign_ me as the retched person here!" Maryse warned, using her index finger to add weight to her threat. "You were the one that strutted up to the Clave with that proposal insinuating a treaty between our kinds!" She situated her hands on her hips and jutted her chin out. "How could the Clave refuse?"

" _How could the Clave refuse_?" Magnus bellowed. " _You_ were the one that discussed about the potential suitors with the members and when one of your own suggested your own _son,_ you stood there and just nodded!" He screeched.

"We all have to agree that a sacrifice was made without the knowledge of the one who was making it,' Aldertree rushed in, eager for peace between the fuming powerful individuals present in the room. "But I'm sure Alec would be noble and accept your marriage proposal. He knows what his actions could mean for us."

Magnus ignored him and kept staring at Maryse. "Have you ever asked your son what he wanted? Have you ever sat down to tell him about this? No, you didn't." Magnus threw up his hands in frustration. "No one would be able to tell that you're the mother of four."

"If you were so concerned about the idea of an arranged marriage, why asked the Clave for a suitor at all?" Maryse gritted out. Magnus' last insult sure did burst Maryse's vein somewhere on her body. It would have been a lie to say that he didn't take pride in that.

"That's a good question," Aldertree rushed once again, but this time, he sounded like he had taken a side. He turned to Magnus with a derisive look. "Why are you so worried about Alec's lack of choice in this? That's entirely our business and we can handle it."

Magnus fisted his hands, but refused to reply to that question. Aldertree continued on "If Alec says no to this, we'll find you another husband or wife. Simple as that. I don't see why are you busting a hip about this." Aldertree narrowed his eyes at Magnus in challenge. Magnus was furious at the behavior he was receiving. He's the _King_ of the Downworld. A degree of respect as always expected by him and he hadn't got the taste of it from the hour he woke up. The regret of answering the door early in the morning to face Maryse and Aldertree was stiffening his neck in overkill.

"Perhaps, you are having second thoughts, Your Highness," Maryse seethed from her standstill position, her hands still on her hips but her head cocked to the side in hatred and sarcasm. "You're trying to use Alec lack of choice, as Victor put it, as an escape from this alliance. You want to look _hurt_ and _betrayed_ goat that would just walk out of this easily and make it look like it was all our fault!"

"ENOUGH!" Magnus boomed. The glass in his hand shattering, allowing free smooth movement of his magic from his hands. A bit of the vodka flew around the room and made Magnus internally smirk when a bit splatter on Aldertree's eyes, which made him flinch and subtly wipe his eyes.

"Maryse Lightwood, if you for a second think in that close minded head  that I would resemble as a-as a pathetic- _goat_ ," Magnus spat out, snarling at the two slightly frightened shadowhunters. "When I'm hurt and betrayed, then _you_ would be one who would be _seriously hurt_ and not betrayed because you would know in the back of your mind, that _you deserved it with all your stinking heart_ ," he hissed, glaring at Maryse with full force. "I am _that_ powerful," he quietly and ominously warned.

"That doesn't change the fact that you also don't want your own freedom staked," Aldertree pointed out. "Your Highness, I know that you are upset. But we made this decision with care. Alec is a smart guy. He's know the gift he would be bringing into our world by doing this."

"Maybe Aldertree, the _dear_ King here himself has no choice in this matter and is trying to reflect his own pain onto us," Maryse smirked. "Not to burst your bubble, but the Clave wants this wedding to go on with absolute zero nonsense. They were quite... pleased by your offer and now you have signed the deal. There's no turning back."

Magnus could feel the prick of a glass in his palm. Whether he was imagining the pain or if there actually was a shard of glass from the chalice he had broken due to his outburst, the pain  was not distracting the shrill noise of anger that was banging against the walls of his head.

"I have friends that have _begged_ me to not enter into this marriage. So no, Maryse, I'm fully conscious of my decision, knowing that I am risking my freedom as well. But it's your son I'm worried about. Don't you give a damn whether he wants this or not? Did you even try to show yourself as a person that cares about his freedom and begged him to consider it? Told him all the consequences? No, you didn't because clearly, you don't give a flying _shit_ about your own son." Magnus stared into Maryse's eyes, feeling his own face softening to hold this conversation with her. But all he was met with was a blank trunk of a tree.

"Again with this?" Maryse yelled in disbelief. "Alec Lightwood _will_ take part in this marriage and he _will_ mend the broken bridge between the downworlders and shadowhunters. He _will_ accept this as his moral duty and he _will_ have no objections. I hope that I have made myself evidently _clear_ since you are failing to see that there is only one... _end_ to all of this.

"But he is your son!" Magnus cried. "You are condemning your own son to a loveless marriage. Why? Because he's gay and you, Maryse Lightwood, are ashamed of it!" He walked a little closer to her. "Admit it."

Maryse stood in silence, her eyes wide and glossy. She was staring at Magnus as if contemplating whether to kick the King out of the Institute by herself. Magnus' eyes just looked back at her, staring at her with anger and a challenge. If she raised one hand up to do anything to Magnus, she would be proving his point about her being ashamed of Alec. Also, she would be faced with the wrath of Magnus Bane that people wouldn't even wish upon a renegade. The wrath that would easily be followed by the wrath of the other two downworlders present in the building, waiting for a command from their leader.

Maryse averted her harsh gaze to Aldertree, silently telling him to handle this from here, and walked out of the room with her hair, tied up in high raised ponytail, swishing violently sideways against her back.

The room was silent for a couple of seconds. Magnus' own gaze was not leveled onto the ground in thought and Aldertree just studied him from the sidelines. His shoes soon came in Magnus' line of vision which brought Magnus out of his scornful thoughts. Aldertree was standing in front of him with a knowing look at what Magnus was just thinking about.

"I must apologize about, all of that," he admitted, craning his neck to meet Magnus' disbelieving eyes. "Maryse hates being told that she doesn't know what she's doing."

"I wasn't even telling her _that_ , I was telling her that she's just being _plain wrong_ ," Magnus said exasperatedly. His head began to ache with all the shadowhunter talk.

Aldertree hummed dismissively. "But she was right about one thing. The Clave is very eager for this marriage to be put in action. If you back out of this." Aldertree stepped closer to Magnus to show how serious he was being. "You would widen the gulf between our kinds even further."

Magnus watched Aldertree in self-pity. He couldn't do this. He didn't want to bring another person into his personal helpless hell. And now, he brought someone like Alec into this. A man of innocence and completely different goals. A man who loves his siblings, only to be married to a man he doesn't love and sent far away from them. If Magnus could think of any moment in the entire expanse of his tight life of when he hated himself the most, he would pick the moment he was experiencing at that time. When he was going behind Alec's back, talking about wedding preparations. When he was entering into this marriage without telling Alec or giving him a few days to settle with the information.

He _really_ hated himself.

Magnus grabbed his coat harshly from the bed where it was carelessly kept. He didn't meet Aldertree's eyes. "I have to go." He began to walk to the door, punching through the sleeves of his coat with unnecessary force.

"Where are you going?" Aldertree inquired, his voice sounded very thick with worry at what Magnus may do.

"I have to go buy an engagement ring, of course," he answered bitterly. He turned back to give an equally bitter smile. "Please don't tell Luke and Ragnor where I went. I rather spent this entire time giving my best spite to your kind."

He closed the door with the loudest _bang_ he could muster. He didn't care about the curious looks he was receiving and went straight ahead to the exit. His throat was paining with words that he was holding back. He may be the King of the Downworld, but he didn't want to say things that put of a fit of anger. His own kind would receive the cold treatment of it from the Nephilim.

He wanted to bring up Valentine. He wanted to yell at Maryse and Aldertree's faces that their 'keep everyone in the dark' tactic was the reason that psycho got out of hand. It was because of their lazy asses that he was the King from a very young age, never resting. All those times he would peer out of his castle's windows and his servants' kids playing about with happiness and energy. There were days he would want to join them as well. But the moment he got down to join them, he would be halted at the exit by someone or the other with an inquiry.

Ever since then, Magnus knew that he was never going to have a normal life. At this point, he even wished he was just _human_. A human that was unaware of the monsters lurking in the corners, the half-angels and the half-demons. But the reality could never stop Magnus from wishing for it. His wants were always taken care of, but definitely not of his _needs_.

"Hey Magnus?" A voice called out from the opposite end of the hallway, right as when Magnus was about to open the backdoor of the Institute to walk out. He turned to see it was the blonde haired boy he was speaking to last night, alongside Alec. Jace, was his name? "Jace?" Magnus tested. He was relieved when Jace reached him and gave him an affirming nod. He gaze wavered to Magnus' hand which was clutching onto the doorknob of the backdoor.

"Hey where are you going? And why aren't you going by the front doors?" Jace asked in one breath. Magnus just gave him a blank stare, his mind to occupied by thoughts of the wedding.

"I'm don't want to be noticed by my peers," Magnus answered politely, when he remembered that Jace too, besides Alec, had spoken sweetly to him, Luke and Ragnor. "And I am in a haste to buy an engagement ring. Maybe you could help me from getting too lost," he offered quickly, opening the door wider and stepping outside.

"Sure!" Jace accepted Magnus' invitation to accompany him. He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket and bounced in his steps as he got out of the Institute as well, with Magnus holding the door open for him. He turned around to see Magnus closing the door thoughtlessly. "Wait, are you planning on proposing to someone?"

"Hm, yeah," Magnus answered dismissively, beginning his walk towards the street for Jace to lead him to a jewelry shop. Jace jogged beside him, his face twisted in confusion.

"Do you mind me asking who?" Jace asked, still jogging next to Magnus. Magnus came to a stop, causing Jace to cease his bouncing movement as well. Magnus took one good look at the skyline in front of him before turning to Jace with the most serious look he could conjure.

"Your brother, Alec."

With that, the walk to the jewelry store became tensed with confusion with Magnus and Jace walking in silence. Magnus would be humorless if he didn't admit mentally that Jace's dumbfounded and lost state of being didn't brighten up his mood a bit.

~~  ~~  ~~

"This is one is quite plain to be honest. Take my advice, look at our collection of citrines," the clerk suggested, moving towards a different counter to point at the different array of engagement rings. Magnus and Jace slowly slid to it, staring at the precious gemstones in careful calculation.

They've been in the store for only half an hour, yet Magnus was in a great hurry to leave. He was also very uncomfortable in Jace's clueless presence. A part of him was urked at the fact that the dutiful parabatai was no saying anything after Magnus' blatant admittance of marrying his brother in arms. Jace was _actually_ staring at different men engagement rings and giving honest opinions about it.

Magnus' eyes kept darting from the rings to Jace constantly, thinking any moment the realization would hit the shadowhunter. Yet, nothing. He was still helping Magnus. So Magnus decided to take the bait. "The citrine gemstone kind of resembles Alexander's eyes when they are a shade of gold, don't you think?" Magnus tested, staring at Jace's face for any changes.

No change.

Instead, he was chuckling. "Okay man, I'm pretty sure your fiancé or fiancée would not be happy to hear you thinking about whether their engagement rings match Alec's eyes instead." Magnus' suspicions were confirmed true.

This daft boy wasn't hit by _anything_.

"Wait," the clerk said suddenly, his eyes switching between Magnus and Jace. "Aren't you two planning to get engaged with each other?" Magnus nearly puked at that assumption.

"Nah, man," Jace said, stepping away from the counter and putting one arm around Magnus' shoulders. "I'm just helping my friend here with choice in engagement ring for the lucky person," he informed with a charming smile.

"Which _is_ your brother, Alec," Magnus tried to tell Jace _again_ , this time being as _serious_ as possible. Jace was still giving a mirthful laugh at the clerk's innocent confession, before turning to Magnus and his eyes settled on his face. His smile was frozen and mismatched colored eyes studied Magnus out of habit. Magnus could literally see the _oh shit_ going around in Jace's head when his smile began to disappear and was replaced with a horrified expression.

"What?" Jace blurted, his arm removed from Magnus' shoulders. Magnus prayed that Jace wouldn't try to do something stupid right here with him, he _really_ wasn't in a mood for a fight. "You weren't joking?" Jace scoffed disbelievingly.  He began to step away from Magnus in shock, already causing a  scene in front of their helpful clerk.

Magnus sighed, defeated. This was the inevitable.  "I wasn't joking, Jace." Magnus turned to the man who was helping him and gave him an apologetic smile. "Could you excuse us? I just need to explain some few... things with him. We'll be right back." The clerk nodded and whispered a small and confused 'take your time' when Magnus held Jace's arm and gently dragged him out of the store.

Magnus cloudlessly walked to a nearby park, easy close distance from the chosen store so that he could return to it after having a talk with Jace. When they reached a bench, Jace got out of his stupor and wrenched his arm out of Magnus' grip. _Oh, for the love of the Angel_ , Magnus thought, _don't make this harder than it is_.

Jace folded his arms sternly and scowled at Magnus. This was the complete opposite of what Magnus had seen yesterday. The excited and 'curious about downworlders' Jace was nowhere to be found. "Explain," Jace said, his eyebrows furrowed in impatience.

Magnus sighed again, thinking why Jace hadn't asked this earlier when they were near the Institute and nowhere near humans. He looked around quickly before stepping closer to Jace in recognition. Magnus tried to speak, opening his mouth frequently before closing it again. He couldn't find a good way to put this. He didn't know how to make Jace aware of his plight. He sighed again in frustration before deciding to just blurt it out to Jace.

"A week ago, me, along with a few of my high ranking friends, had a meeting with the Clave to discuss about an alliance." He paused his words, taking a small peek at Jace's face to see no change. "A new alliance. To fix what Valentine had broken of the one between shadowhunters and downworlders years before. One of my kind had suggested of a marriage to someone of your kind and well, Alec's name came up in the meeting."

"And let me guess," Jace cut in. "Maryse and few others said his name." _Okay **, now** he is not daft_.

"Yes," Magnus admitted. "But trust me, last night was when I had realized that Alec had no clue about this entire... _dalliance_ of ours. In fact, before I saw you in the institute this morning, I had a _huge_ fight with your mother about that." Magnus inhaled a deep breath to show Jace his defeat. "I tried to get out of this, for the sake of your brother. Because personally, I didn't want your brother to be stuck in a loveless marriage with someone...someone like me."

Jace had uncrossed his arms and had let them hang loosely by his sides when Magnus looked up. He was looking at Magnus with surprise and amazement. "You tried to get out of this... for Alec?"

Magnus inhaled shakily. "The keyword here is ' _tried'_. But unfortunately the Clave has gotten to interested in this. They want me to carry it out!" Magnus said exasperatedly. "I really don't know why they can't choose someone besides Alec. It's like...it's like they are pretty damn stubborn about him marrying me."

"Because they know that he won't say no," a voice said behind Magnus. He turned back in comical haste to see Isabelle was standing there, wearing a casual pair of ripped jeans, a white top and a black jacket. She was looking down in sadness, her one hand clutching a cup of coffee which looked like it was drunk by her going by the imprint of red lipstick on it.

"My brother is too damn of a patriot," she said bitterly. Her voice sounded like she was going to cry.

Magnus whipped his head back to Jace in question and he shrugged awkwardly. "When we were leaving the Institute, I had sent her a quick text to come join us and help you with the engagement ring."

She sent a quick glare to her brother as she stepped closer to Magnus. "Yeah and I didn't know that the lucky groom was going to be my own older brother." She whispered the last part while looking into Magnus' eyes, her eyes looked glossy with tears.

Magnus stood there helpless at how he was going to comfort the mourning sister, when thankfully, Jace, stood between them and spoke. "I think it'd be best if we sat somewhere and talk." Izzy gave a quick nod before wiping away her tears away smoothly. She began to strut away from the worried men to a nearby cafe.

Magnus and Jace quickly followed her, with a respectable distance between each other. Magnus even saw from the corner of his eyes that Jace's hands were closely formed into fists, his nails without a doubt, digging into his calloused skin. They quickly made inside of the edgy coffee shop and found a small table to sit down.

Izzy got up the next moment, remembering something. "I should order something. They won't let us sit here if we don't buy anything."

"They don't?" Magnus asked confused. Izzy looked back at him confused. She appeared to be struggling with something she wants to say to Magnus but didn't know how to put it.

"Um, yeah," Jace, luckily answered for her. She sent a quick grateful glance to him. She turned back to Magnus to give a sad smile.

"If the circumstances were different, I would've taught you how regular people spend their lives in the outside," she said remorsefully before leaving to order some drinks.

She was right. Magnus rarely had time to indulge in normalcy. He can't even remember the last time he strolled casually into a coffee shop or bar and just hung out there... okay, there's nothing to remember because he's never done any of that. Even if he tried, he would've been followed by bodyguards everywhere and the places would be evacuated of the unaware customers. He knew that because Ragnor would personally see to that.

Even at the moment, Magnus felt out of his skin. He didn't know how to act without bringing too much attention to himself. It wasn't that he didn't desire the complimentative attention, he just didn't want to receive it _now_. _Now_ meaning when he's at a vulnerable point, his mind messed up and about to have a talk with, frankly, two quite intimidating shadowhunters.

The reassuring fact was that even Jace wasn't quite comfortable to be alone with him as well. The cafe was too small, to the point every second person was bumping to one another. And everyone was dressed too...casual. And Magnus wore an outfit that looked like he was going for a meeting to be announced as the CEO of a well-known company. And his accomplice his the leather-wearing and strands-of-hair-falling-on-his-face Jace. They made quite a pair. They looked like two bulky guys who kept getting bumped on the shoulder by anyone who passes by them.

Jace and Magnus were squeezing themselves to not take too much of space and get rattled by the ongoing crowd in the shop. Alas... that didn't help much.

"I didn't know what to get for you, so I just got a nut latte. Hope it's not too bad for you," Isabelle apologized. She handed him the bright cup with a few napkins. Magnus peered at his drink, trying to contemplate how it would taste like.

"I don't blame you, my dear. I doubt I would know what to order for myself as well," he admitted, pleased to see Isabelle give him an understanding nod.  She sat down gracefully, while handing another cup to Jace. Magnus quickly looked to see Jace take his cup embarrassingly.

Magnus had to hide a smile behind his own cup when he found that Jace was a tea person. He took a sip of his...'nut latte', Isabelle had called, and was content to like to taste of it. He planned to go back to home and request this as his morning drink rather than the plain coffee he always had.

Magnus noticed that Isabelle wasn't carrying anything for herself. He gave a curious look which she deciphered quickly. "My order will take some time," she said with a dismissive wave. "I want to hear everything you have to say... _now_ ," she commanded silently.

In normal situations, Magnus would've been offended by her demand, but he knew that he technically owed her, and Jace, an explanation. He pursed his lips and began to speak. "I hope you know about how... _tense_ things have been lately between shadowhunters and downworlders."

"All because of Valentine," Isabelle supplied like a knowing student would. "We know all about that."

"Well, then I hope you _also_ know about his psychotic son trying to...finish what his distasteful father had started." Magnus tried to keep the venom out of his voice. Now wasn't a good time for him to have a feelings like a King would have in a courtroom.

"Sebastian?" Jace asked, eager to get a word in.  "We've heard bits and pieces of him but nothing about him doing to harmful stuff." Magnus felt a vein on his forehead almost burst. The day was _really_ trying to hurl the maximum amount of stress at him.

"That's because he didn't do anything to _your_ kind," he calmly had try to say. But he was afraid that his voice sounded a bit too strained for Izzy passed a quick warning look to Jace. "Maybe, he was planning to inform you when he had decimated the entire Downworld and wore all of us as his _bloody_ trophies." Magnus inwardly thought _screw calmness_. He took a big gulp of his hot latte to numb his anger.

"He's been slaughtering many of my subjects for fun and information about myself." Magnus shrugged helplessly. "We've been searching for him and couldn't find a thing on that bugger. Except that he has secretly acquired the resources to thwart _my_ people and that he's hiding in one of your Nephilim territories." Magnus sighed and searched the two shadowhunters' face for any signs of discomfort to only find none. He continued, "One of my helpers suggested an interracial alliance that could get _us_ resources as well _and_ give us access to those territories to kill Sebastian before he acquires... _too much_ of power."

"Thus my brother comes into the story," Isabelle concluded finally. Magnus went silent, trying to not say anything further when he was rather feeling the need to explain himself.

"And are you going to do it?" Jace asked seriously. His heterochromatic eyes were looking rather dark than they were in the morning. There was an adopted sadness in them, but the unmistakable fury lurks in its foliage. "Are you going to marry your brother?"

Magnus sat forward. "Look, I will definitely make an attempt to ask for his hand. But it's his freedom of choice whether he wants to say yes or no." Izzy and Jace did not look convinced. They instead shared uneasy and fearful looks with each other, their silent communication wrapping Magnus in a sudden, depth of doubt.

"Wait, you think he's going to say yes?" Magnus said, incredulous. The sibling duo looked at him unsurely.

"Alec is a man of duty and responsibility. With the right push, which he might get from our dear and loving mother, and an hour of him just in thought, there's a possibility here Magnus, that my brother would want to be a part of this," Isabelle spoke, leaving no moments of hesitation, yet vulnerability peeking from her thick skin. "He's very..." Izzy took a chance to give a quick look to Jace. "Considerate that way."

Magnus pursed his lips and frowned. This was what he had feared. Alec is an understanding man. Not a stubborn, egoistic and emotional to his own plight. Magnus had prayed that whatever he was getting himself into, would not drag down Alec in any way. Unfortunately, from what his own siblings are saying, he wanted to be taken down as long as it meant to keep a purpose up.

"Isn't there any way you could persuade him to not say yes?" Magnus tried not plead, but his tone betrayed him. "Tell him  lies about me. Say to him that I am the most _horrible_ person out there and insufferable to live with." He spared a long look to Jace before looking at Isabelle,He probably even looked desperate. " _Please_."

Isabelle bit her lip in pain. "Magnus, you don't know our brother. He's stubborn in ways that frustrate me, _and_ Jace, till today. It's very hard to tell him to _not_ do something that he has already set his mind to, unless you give him a logical explanation."

"Which he always has in the first place," Jace putted in gravely. "I admit, I'm quite stubborn. Even more than Alec. But that's because I never have logic in whatever I do. Alec has always held me back."  Jace's bottom lip wavered. "But things like these, Alec has no emotion. He will do whatever he thinks he's right in. Which is most of the time because he's the most perceptive than all us combined." Jace scoffed bitterly. "No wonder he makes a perfect leader candidate."

"So that's it," Magnus said angrily, his eyes burning. "You're going to not even try to fight in this. You want him to live with me, somewhere far away from the both of you, and share a roof with a stranger every day?"

"You have time to get to know him," Izzy interjected. "Besides, mom's probably told him the news. He's probably sitting in his room now with his own thought just like I had said." Izzy's eyes hardened suddenly. "Our brother is not a monster to live with, you know."

Magnus' eyes widened. His frown slipped away from his face to be replaced with a shocked look. Oh, how things change in just one minute. "But I might be!" He yelled, begging Jace and Izzy to understand. "Don't _you_ get it? _I'm_ taking away your brother's freedom away. _I'm_ the one who he will be stuck seeing for the rest of our forevers." Magnus shook his head in loss. "What if _I'm_ the monster, Isabelle?  What if I'm the one who ruins everything for your brother?"

"Magnus," Jace began, moving his hand to rest on Magnus' arm. Magnus wrenched it away and stood up abruptly.

"I'm sorry but I _have_ to go." Magnus' voice croaked. "I'll choose the ring myself, don't bother. But thanks anyways Jace for showing me the way." Magnus gathered himself and walked away quickly away from the two astounded shadowhunters.

"Magnus!" Jace called out.

"Don't go!" Izzy pleaded.

But Magnus had left.

Even though the shadowhunters could pursue him without giving a breath of exhaustion, Magnus made it quite clear that he doesn't want to be followed with any consolation they want to offer.

He walked away from the cafe, his boots making scraping noises on the hard cold ground of New York. He may have or may have not exposed too much of what he thinks of himself to his maybe future-in-laws. But the moment was too over bearing for him to not burst.

His eyes still burned, the knot still making its presence known in his throat. His hands trembled a bit, whether it was from the cold or the entire thought of marrying Alec could be a harsh, cold reality. It wasn't that he has going to be miserable his entire life with the tall shadowhunter. It was the fact that maybe _he_ would be the reason for a miserable life for Alexander.

His chest clenched at realization that he would have to see Alec soon. He was planning to buy a random ring and just presenting it to whoever was going to marry him if Alec had refused. But Izzy and Jace changed the plan completely. Their second opinion that Alec would say yes made the pressure on Magnus to buy the perfect ring for him an enormous presence in his mind, replacing the lingering absence of the possibility without a complaint.

He entered the ring shop once again, searching for the man who was helping him before. He found the employee's eyes near the cashier, looking at Magnus with bemusement. He was probably wondering where his companion had went and why Magnus was looking terrible.

"Welcome back, sir!" He greeted slowly. He approached Magnus with care. "Do you want to continue your last search?" He asked kindly. Magnus was proud to have forced a convincing smile to relieve the clerk's tension at the previous drama.

Magnus found himself in the similar position he was in an hour ago, peering at the citrine gems with the clerk behind the counter, though his first intended accomplice, Jace, was willingly absent.

Now Magnus found this tough. He had no idea which ideal ring to buy for the shadowhunter. He was looking at the citrine gems because they did remind him of Alec's eyes. He wanted to choose a ring that wasn't too flashy for him but at the same nothing less fitting for the husband of a King. He was also skeptical about the finger size but quickly remembered that he is a warlock and he could adjust it the moment there is any difficulty present.

"Don't know what you're looking for?" The clerk prompted, wanting Magnus to ask for some advice. Magnus gave a sheepish smile.

"I admit, I do need some assistance," he chuckled. The clerk mirrored him, giving a chuckle of his own before pulling out a random ring and presenting it to Magnus.

"Would you like this?" He asked.  Magnus studied the ring, making a list of reactions that may go through Alexander's mind if he saw the ring. The ring had a big rock in the center, which didn't looked to be assured of not getting lost should Alec have to go shadowhunting any time.

The sound of the door opening and the rushing footsteps were heard from behind. Magnus' head turned curiously to find that Jace and Izzy had finally decided to follow him, having small matching grim expressions on their faces. They caught Magnus' stare and quietly walked to him.

They stood beside him in support; a knowing look glittering in their eyes. Magnus didn't question but rather welcomed their company. Also, he was _tired_ of pushing away people today.

"Do you need help with this?" Izzy asked lowly, standing close to his left side. Jace assumed his right side, giving warm welcoming feelings to him just like Izzy was.

Magnus gave a small smile to the fierce woman and nodded, before turning back to the clerk to converse. The clerk was still holding a bemused expression on his face at the sight of not one, but _two_ sudden companions.

"Um, to answer your question, no," Magnus drawled thoughtfully. "Something like... Oh wow! Can I look at that one?" The clerk confusedly looked to the side which the excited King was suddenly pointing at.

It had caught Magnus' attention from the small hidden corner of the counter, just like Alec had when they first met. It was clear, pristine silver band, with alternate squares of citrines and crystals inserted in it. The ring looked neat, and very beautiful, just like Alec. It was a genuine good find from Magnus' part.

"This one?" The clerk asked. Magnus nodded vigorously, looking pleased for the first time since morning. His hands were planted on the glass pane of the counter, trying to get a closer and longer look of the ring perched on the helper's hand. "I admit, I was expecting you to go for something more... complex." He cleared his throat. "But this one is a sure beauty. You sure about this one?"

"It looks really nice, Magnus," Jace said quietly. Magnus alternately looked at Izzy and Jace to see them nodding at the ring that caught Magnus' eye in agreement. Well, that's good enough for Magnus. Two people who care the most about Alec have agreed with his choice.

"Yes!" Magnus said, like it's the most obvious thing to say to a beauty like _that_. "A thousand times yes!"

The next thing Magnus knew, he was strolling out of the shop , along with Jae and Izzy, with the ring nestling safely in his coat pocket, anxious and nervous to see the signs of havoc inside the Institute.

~~  ~~  ~~

Alec knocked on the door of his mother's office very loudly, eager and anxious to find out what his earlier tight-lipped mother wanted to tell him.

He heard a stern 'come in' pass through the door, allowing him to open it free of consequences. His mom stood on the other side of her desk, appearing to be examining some files. Her eyes went up to her tall son, who gave stood in front of her with his arms behind his back, ready to receive orders.

"You called?" He asked, casually, naive of what is his mother was about to say. She looked at him for few minutes, her expression sagging with sadness and hints of regret. "Mom?" he called, letting his soldier facade drop when he noticed that Maryse had something to say about their family and not work.

"Sit down, Alec," she said, her voice trembling. Alec gave her a dubious look before situating himself on one of the chairs placed in front of his mom's desk. Even though he was sitting, his mom made no attempt to rest herself. Her posture was more tensed than ever. Her eyes were fearful and her fingers wobbled as she placed the files that she was examining before he entered on the table.

There was a lot of fidgeting from her part, and a lot of impatience from Alec's side. His mom was clearly hesitating with something that she wants to say to him. She was being mindful about his reaction to it.

"What's going on?" Alec asked seriously, his hard voice shining through finally. Maryse winced before gaping her mouth.

"As you know, Magnus Bane is not exactly in our Institute for vacation purposes," Maryse began, taking a deep breath after uttering the King's first name.

Alec shifted uncomfortably on his seat. "Yes, Your Highness has made it clear that he is here for a purpose." He was urked at the fact that his mom was not referring Magnus with respect that he deserves. He tried to lay an emphasis on the title, wanting her to be aware of the King's power.

Maryse didn't notice Alec sudden loyalty to Magnus' honor, unfortunately. "There was a meeting last week... where we discussed with him an...alliance between both our kinds. A peaceful treaty that could open many doors for us!" She said with a crazy smile. She hurried to sit on the seat next to Alec, making him shift more further back in his own.

Her hands reached out for his and clasped it tight. Alec felt a blush burning at the back of his neck and his cheeks. It's been a really long time since his mom showed him this much affection. It was random and sort of...unwelcomed from his own part.

"Our military support would triple. We would have access to so _many_ resources! Imagine the warlocks that we could call to help our wounded soldiers! Our medic aid would give us the spike we need," she explained excitedly. Though, Alec had no idea why she was suddenly being so favorable to the downworlders when he knew all these facts before. And wasn't she insulting their 'barabaric' personalities a while back?

"I've heard that the seelie realm has so many hidden secrets. Imagine being a part of that Alec!" Maryse grinned. The amount of muscles that were forcing the grin on her face was very obvious to Alec. "And I'm sure that the werewolves and vampires would provide some help here and there."

Alec couldn't help but squinting one eye of his in doubt at his mother. Her behavior was being...unusually erratic. She was being too excited and too nice about the downworlders.

 _What are you hiding from me?_ Alec couldn't help but think.

While Alec was trying to think about his mom's nature, she kept rambling on about the benefits they were going to receive from the downworlders. A creepy sense cooled his heart.

"Mom," Alec stopped his mother from embarrassing herself further. She gave a furious blush of her own to Alec before looking away from her son's eyes in thinly veiled panic. She was still holding his hands in her own. " _What the hell is going on_?" He tried to make his tone firm, not wanting any more bullshit from her. _This_... touchy side from her is just a mask.

Maryse looked very close to wailing by the time Alec had asked her that question. Her eyes were trying very hard to hold back her tears, definitely making her eyesight blurry. She raised her palm from the joined mesh she made with Alec's own, and placed it on the side of his face. Alec took in a sharp breath at the contact.

"Mom," his voice broke out. "What did you do?" he pleaded. He didn't like this direction of the conversation. He came here to receive orders, not  to be confronted by his mother's panicked and rare persona. He was surprised when his own eyes started to sting really badly with the onset of tears.

Maryse still stared into his light eyes, her face searching and finding a lingering potential there. "How could I have done this?" she whispered tearfully. Her voice was devoid of harshness and cold, adopting the tune of a broken piano.

"Mom, _please_ ," Alec begged once more. His own eyes searched Maryse's face for the stalled truth.

"I..." she began, finding it hard to continue. She licked her lips shakily, inhaling very loudly as well. "I may have gotten us... into a deal without your permission." She inhaled shakily again. "And I may have not warned you way earlier than I should've."

She was breathing heavily, her eye letting one tear escape, letting his swoop down her cheek swiftly. That was the condition of Alec's heart at that moment. Swooping down swiftly into the unknown.

"W-what?"Alec asked, his eyes wide now, his eyesight clouded as well. His eyebrows were raised in unpleasant shock and confusion. "Mom, just... tell me what you have done!" he raised his voice a bit to imply that he really _has_ to know.

"Magnus Bane has been assigned to marry you!" Maryse blurted out finally, letting the harsh truth settle into the atmosphere. She was panting now, as if the news had been restricting her from breathing.

Alec sat stiff and broken. The news was slapping him _very_ hard in the face.

Magnus Bane was going to marry him.

Magnus Bane was going to marry him.

 _Magnus Bane was going to marry him_.

Alec couldn't breathe. His eyes were now not seeing _anything_ clearly. Flashes of his siblings smiling, laughing and beckoning him appeared in the wall of sadness. His vision of his own future, where he stood proudly in front of the Institute with the title 'Head of The New York Institute' plastered onto his heart.

It was almost as if everything he wanted to _see,_ everything that he wanted to _experience_ were being washed away with his tears, leaving his vision dry and empty. He couldn't _see_ himself as the head of the Institute. He couldn't _see_ Max getting his very first rune. He couldn't _see_ being anywhere near Izzy and Jace with a wide smile.

 _He couldn't see a life_.

There was void of hope and happiness in him, leaving him in a shallow pond of broken mirrors from the inexperienced reflections he has had of himself. All he now saw was himself, somewhere far away from his family...his dream... _his living_.

He shook his head a few times. Magnus Bane. Magnus Bane, the King of the Downworld was going to marry him. This marriage takes away everything he has worked hard for. Everything he has... _sacrificed_ for.

"You can't be serious," he choked. He tried to blink away the tears to see his mom in the same situation. "Please tell me that you can't be...that much of an _uncaring_ mother to have pinned me into all of this," he prayed, his voice raspier and broken than ever. Like his soul at the moment.

Maryse, in answer, looked away in shame. A shame that she should've have realized long time ago for her treatment towards her children. A shame that has now made her own flesh and blood, lose a meaning in life.

Alec snatched his hands away from Maryse's grip, so done with her pitiful character. He stood up abruptly, knocking the chair away from its place. Maryse looked up in defeat and fear.

" _That's it_?" Alec screeched. "You tell me today, that I have to marry a man that I don't know of. That I have to leave every _sweat_ and _tear_ that I have put here to deal with your disregard of me. That I have leave behind a life that I worked hard for myself and would've continued working for!" He screamed, not caring if anyone else had heard it. He was too angry and raged for the justice he has _never_ gotten.

Maryse looked away again and scrunched her eyes closed in pain. She was still panting and was giving little sobs every now and then. Her nails were digging into her arms crossed over each other to hide as usual. Alec was panting himself, wanting to say more... _Inflict_ more. But he stopped when he saw his mom's reaction to his speech.

He wavered slightly in his bent over stance, trying to keep the shock from dizzying him up even further. Before he knew it, he found himself on his knees, besides his mother.

"Mom?" he tried to softly call out, but his voice broke even further, making it sound like he was losing it. Maryse turned even more away, not wanting to present herself this vulnerable in front of her son. "Was I ever... was I ever going to be the Head like you promised me?" He asked, having no strength in his voice, fearing for _the_ answer.

Maryse gave a grimace and choked on an another sob. She wrapped herself even further in her embrace, trying to slip away from Alec's heartbroken gaze. Alec shook his head once again, eyes widening further in disbelief. "Mom?"

She inhaled shabbily, before giving a firm, continuous shake of her head.

 _Oh_.

The falsity was now _so_ clear to Alec.

There were a few minutes of silence, where Alec tried to get his mom open her eyes, which she refused going by her body Language.

The breaking mother was refusing to acknowledge her already broken son.

Alec _so_ wished that _that_ phrase has never existed.

He couldn't bear to be here. He needed to leave.

Alec got up, his height towering over his mom's crying form. He observed her silently for another moment, his own tears now dried away, making his eyes feel like two heavy weights in his head. He walked out of the room stoically, hiding the intense pain he was feeling. He closed the door silently, refusing to spare another glance at his thoughtless mother, before walking away, taking big steps at a time, to his own room.

Three hours passed with Alec locked away securely in his dark room. Three hours passed with Alec periodically crying for himself and the security of his own siblings. Three hours passed of him trying to think of another way to be relieved of _this_. Three hours passed with him mentally berating himself for thinking of slipping away from this when this was essential to a shadowhunter's duty.

 _To uphold peace_.

Three hours passed when Alec decided enough is enough, and went outside of the Institute to buy something.

Four hours passed when Alec decided that he was ready to talk to Magnus Bane.

~~  ~~  ~~

"So I'm guessing you know now, huh?" Magnus said, once after taking in Alec's deep-in-thought expression. He was sitting on the chair behind his large office desk, his elbows on the top, and his head supported tiredly by his own hands.

Alec looked up after Magnus uttered the words, and gave him a small, bitter smile. "Yeah, from my own mom," he said. He inspected his own hands, like as if they were held the answer for him to get out of this. Magnus pitifully wished for one as well.

Magnus walked away from the door a bit and stood in front of the desk. "Listen, Alec. I didn't ask for your hand in marriage personally. If I had known that a man like you was being forced into this-"

"I want this to happen," Alec blurted, cutting off Magnus' excuse midway. "I want to forge the bond between-" he gestured between himself and Magnus. "-us. I want us to be... partners."

Magnus raised an eyebrow. "You are taking this awfully well that it's making me scared," Magnus said with a nervous chuckle. He ducked his head a bit to take in Alec's face a bit more. He tried to see what Alec was trying to think.

Alec gave a laugh of his own and shook his head. "I have to admit, I'm just really putting up a _really_ good facade right now."

Magnus hummed in understanding. "You need to teach me a few tricks then. Ragnor tells me that I'm an easy book to read. Maybe to him I am, but I don't know..." Magnus trailed off, finishing off the last bit quietly. It was ridiculous how shy he was feeling in this situation, but he couldn't help but be a bit guarded and awkward in front of the man he didn't know who he was going to marry.

Alec gave a breathless laugh, getting up from his chair. He looked at Magnus with a knowing look and side smile. "We will have _a lot_ of years for that since we'll be tied together forever." He walked to the other side of the desk and stood in front of Magnus. Magnus faced away from the desk to face Alec, trying to look into his hazel eyes.

Alec's eyes were closed, and his mouth was huffing in tension. When he opened his eyes, they were directly met by the King of the Downworld's own soft brown ones.

"Magnus," he began. He pursed his lips again in frustration and then looked sideways, not wanting to meet Magnus' eyes for they were clearly making him weak with words. Magnus wondered why. "This is going to be just the beginning for us. But I want you to know that I want to do this." He inhaled once again. "I _want_ to marry you. I have accepted that. But..." He walked away from Magnus and stood in front of a painting. "I would understand if you want another candidate."

The last part was whispered lowly that Magnus thought he had hallucinated those words. His eyes widened in disbelief. "Look, Alexander. I know you may have heard from... somewhere." Magnus didn't want to say Maryse's name so he had opted out. "That I was very reluctant about this and that I've been...stalling the engagement for some time, but I'm trying. I _really_ am."

He stood next Alec who was staring at the painting blankly. He gently touched his arm, not wanting him to pull away. Thankfully, Alec didn't wrench it out of his grip. "I want to marry you as well. I don't think I would be able to find another shadowhunter who would understand all of this as well as you are." He sighed when Alec still refused to look at him.

He turned him around to face him. This time, Alec stared at him head on, intensely...fearfully. "I'm not upset about giving my freedom away for someone like _you_. I'm upset because I'm taking away the freedom of a soul like _yours_ ; someone with such a _kind_ and _generous_ soul. I upset that I'm taking away the opportunity of _you_ finding true love. I have accepted that I will never find love but I don't know about you."

Magnus was going to go on, but he saw that Alec was now ready to get a word in and immediately had shut his mouth.

"I have accepted that as well," Alec confessed. "I don't think I will find love either. So being tied in a loveless marriage in not much of a _pain_ for me." Magnus wanted to _cry_ at the self-hate and bitterness in Alec's words.

"You _will_ ," Magnus insisted. "I mean who wouldn't-"

"No one would," Alec said harshly. Magnus shut his mouth quietly, trembling slightly at Alec's sour tone. "You don't know what it feels like when I walk down these halls and everyone just looks at me like I am part of... like I am a part of a zoo!" He gestured wildly. "No one takes me seriously anymore! Even if I did become the head of the Institute, no one would listen to me. No one would want to obey a gay shadowhunter. Maybe my few friends might and my siblings, but the others?"

Alec's voice was staring to crack and Magnus tightened his grip in his arm, internally hoped that it would offer some comfort. "There are few that want to listen to me, but they have all of these... _these_ _bigoted_ old fashioned parents who wouldn't let them. I'm just... _done_. I don't want to do anything else with this Institute." Alec started to sound and look more defeated with every word, landing soft blows on Magnus' own heart.

Alec gave a bitter chuckle. "Some of them must be so glad to get rid of me now, huh?" Magnus eyes widened at that thought. He raised his other hand to hold Alec's left arm as well.

"Don't think that, Alexander," he pleaded. "I mean, you can't tell me that you're the _only_ gay shadowhunter in this entire Institute. There may be some hiding in fear. You have been nothing but brave by admitting this about yourself." Alec held his head down in sadness, but Magnus tilted his head, and forced him to look into his eyes. "Together we could change this, Alexander. We could change the rules. We could make these people come out from their hiding. Make them realize that even they can achieve greatness." He slid his hands to situate them on Alec's shoulders. "And it starts with a leader. Like you."

Alec gave a smile, his eyes filled with tears. Magnus took this as a progress that Alec found a reason to cry in front of him. He decided to test the waters and pulled Alec into a hug.

He was immensely glad when Alec returned the hug with full force; hugging Magnus with _all_ he had.

Magnus was surprised at how easy it was for them to embrace. His head was securely situated on Alec's strong shoulder, while Alec's head brushed intimately beside Magnus' own. Their chest moved together. Their chests bumped with each other every time one of them inhaled deeply, and each time, they trembled in warmth from the touch. Magnus even swore that he felt Alec's own heartbeat. Alec's little hairs were tickling Magnus' neck, which may have been the same predicament for Alec as well, Magnus realized.

They stayed in that position for a while, before they realize that there were still some business to settle. They parted softly, Magnus began to smoothen his outfit for any rumples that may have occurred during their intimate hug session. He looked up at Alec with a bright smile which he returned.

Alec exhaled slowly and his shoulders de-stiffened. He seemed more relaxed and comfortable than he was a few minutes ago. "So what do we do now?" he asked, taking a respectable step back from Magnus.

Magnus looked up at him in confusion. "What?" he questioned dumbly.

"I mean, how do we do this marriage thing?"Alec asked once again. Magnus considered the thought before realizing the weight in his pocket.

"Oh!" he exclaimed. He took out the navy blue box from his pocket and awkwardly held it out to Alec. "I think we should get engaged?" Alec stared at the box resting on his palm in surprise before rummaging his own pockets and taking out a purple ring box as well. "Oh dear," Magnus said, pleasantly surprised and smiling at the situation.

"When my mom told me about this, I had thought that I should definitely get you a ring to propose to you." Alec rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I didn't know that would be the exact same plan as yours."

Magnus' eyes darted between the blue box in his hand and the purple box in Alec's hand. "I could propose to you now if you'd like?" Magnus inquired, looking at Alec for any signs of disagreement.

Alec regarded him for a second, before pocketing his ring for Magnus in his jacket pocket. He gave a slow nod and took another step back to give Magnus space.

Magnus inhaled shakily before slowly getting down on one knee. This was a big thing. Yet, the weight of its importance was not dwelling within either of the men present there. Alec looked anxious and awkward, and Magnus looked slightly clueless at how he should start.

Once he was on the ground on one knee, he opened the ring box and presented the engagement ring to Alec. It would be a lie if Magnus didn't say he was pleased when Alec gave a breathless gasp at the sight of the ring that was chosen for him. Well, at least his groom-to-be was happy with the ring.

Magnus took in about two swallows before staring up into Alec's eyes. Now, there was a fire burning in the hunter's eyes. The fire of what's to come for both of them. And Magnus felt the same fire in his own eyes. "Alexander Lightwood, will you marry me?"

The words were floating in the air, but there was nothing to ground them. Magnus felt a shiver go down his spine once his and Alec's decision was sealed. The words that had only one answer in this scenario. All Alec had to do was utter it.

The hunter stood there dumbfounded, but at the same time defeated. He stared at the ring and at Magnus alternately. Magnus even feared for a second that Alec had realized what he was getting into and was going to refuse him. But Alec just stood still. "Alec?" Magnus softly called out, trying to rouse the man from his own thoughts.

The silence breaker did the trick because Alec came back on earth and gave a firm nod to the man kneeling down. "Yes."

Alec stooped to Magnus level and pulled him up with two firm grips on Magnus arms, oddly mirroring the comforting position they were just in but the other way around. Once Magnus was up, Alec looked down at the ring and then back up, asking for permission.

Magnus plucked the sparkling ring out of the box, and began to slide it onto Alec's ring finger. Alec's hand shook when Magnus held them to put it on. There was also a certain speed to the way Magnus had put it on him, almost as if he wanted to get it over with.

The two men inspected the ring quietly. Magnus was happy that the ring suited Alec the best, just like how Jace and Izzy had predicted. The ring didn't look too big one Alec's finger that it was off-putting  but not small either that it would look comical on his rather largish hand.

Alec cleared his throat and spoke "Thank you."

"You're very welcome," Magnus kindly replied. "I was a bit scared with the choosing though. I didn't know whether to go with a very flashy one or a plain one. But in the end of the day, you were going to be the husband of a King so I went for something in the middle. Thank God for Izzy and Jace's help though because I would've never been able to get my head on one..." Magnus rambled on, scared of the outcomes that now he and Alec will collectively face in future.

"Wait, Izzy and Jace know about this?" Alec asked with wide eyes. If this was another time, Manus would've cooed at Alec's doe eyed expression.

"Um, yes," Magnus slowly said. "I'm sorry that the first people I told about this were your siblings and not you. It was pretty sudden and unintentional."

"Magnus," Alec stopped Magnus from rambling again. "It's okay. I'm kind of glad that I don't have to be the one to tell them about this." Magnus sighed in relief when he heard the sincerity in Alec's voice.

The next few minutes were spent in comfortable silence, with Magnus and Alec quietly admiring the ring on Alec's finger. Magnus was content that it had fitted Alec's ring finger well, no too tight to make his flesh flow out of it nor too loose that every time Alec moved his hand, there was a hundred percent chance of it falling off. The gems was gleaming with promises and vows, resting against the silver band contently. And Magnus was right, the citrine gemstone matched well with Alec's gorgeous eyes.

Magnus cleared his throat to get Alec's attention. "So are you going to put the ring on me now?" Magnus asked.

Alec's eyes narrowed and looked away from the ring on his hand. He looked at Magnus with confusion. "Huh?"

Magnus smiled at the recreation of the entire scene unfolding in front of him.  He just shook his head fondly. "You aren't going to give me the ring you bought for me?" He teased. Alec blinked at him for a few seconds before ceasing completely. He took out the ring box once again and looked at Magnus shyly.

"I was thinking of having a public proposal," he confessed. "I think the Clave would want something like that to happen."

Magnus thought about it for a second before coming to an understanding conclusion from Alec's body language. "You also want everyone to know that you were aware of this entire deal." Magnus ducked his head to look into Alec's eyes again, who was slouching and trying to avoid Magnus' eyes. "You want to propose to me in front of everyone to make it look like you want this."

Alec bit his lower lip, making Magnus feel slightly dizzy from the innocent action. "I _do_ want this. It's just..." Alec struggled with his words. "I want to just... _not_ look like I had gone an entire week _not_ knowing about this." And Magnus was completely understanding of that.

"Hey," Magnus softly said, lifting Alec's chin up once again. He found himself doing that a lot around Alec. It was seeming like Alec was ashamed of holding eye contact with a man of power like Magnus for too long. Magnus had to admit, come of his own friends took some time to feel comfortable around him. "I'll do it. Do you want do it now, though?"

Alec stayed silent for ten seconds, appearing to be putting some thought in the ordeal. "Let's just get it over with now," he had let out finally, holding Magnus hand to drag him out of the room shyly.

Magnus felt hurt when Alec had said that. He knew that he should expect such harsh things in a loveless marriage but he wasn't expecting how this thing was being so painful to Alec, that he wanted to this to be done like ripping off a Band-Aid. But Magnus quickly gave a small, forced smile to Alec when he looked back at him in confirmation while walking down the hallway.

As they turned from the hall into the main platform where announcements are made, Magnus caught a glimpse of Jace and Izzy who were about leave but saw their brother dragging his fiancé to the stage. They stopped in their tracks and began to walk towards them instead, worried and curious.

Once the duo came to a standstill, Alec began addressing everyone present the room. Almost everyone stopped whatever they were doing to look at Alec with interest and curiosity. Magnus thought inwardly at how oblivious Alec was being earlier. Half the Institute respect him so much and seemed very eager to follow his lead. Most began coming close to the platform with their hands behind their back out of respect.

But Magnus would've been lying if he said that he didn't notice some judgmental looks from the back as well. But they also looked like they belonged to very traditional shadowhunters, so Magnus just ignored them, wishing that the ignorance came from Alec much earlier to those people. And now, those people have filled poison into Alexander's head.

Magnus caught the sight of Maryse with them. She looked surprised at Alec's sudden voice of authority and moved ahead with the crowd to listen to her own son. Magnus had to admit, his head was occupied making observations of the shadowhunters that he wasn't hearing what Alec was saying to them. He saw Luke and Ragnor standing quietly in the corner, observing his groom-to-be with wariness and skepticism. He gave them a quick look in their way to convey to them that there was nothing to worry about.

Magnus' train of thought ceased when Alec turned to him finally. He looked at him with nervousness and determination.  Magnus glanced to his side to see all of the shadowhunters were looking at them expectantly. Even the ones that were judging the both of them a few minutes ago.

Magnus looked at Alec again, to see him being very hesitant. What seemed like many slow minutes later, Alec slowly got down on one knee.

Now, it seemed to be _too_ real to Magnus.

When he had done the same for Alec, he was not aware of the line he was going to cross with the young man. But now he knew it _too_ well. The eyes of the public made him realize that _this_ was final and there was no turning back. He was getting married to a shadowhunter.

And Alec... the dear Alexander was looking up at him with doe-like and pleading eyes. His pink lips were trembling with fear of what they were about to face. Together.

"Magnus Bane," he began. Magnus felt like crying to the strong voice Alec had spoke in. Such a sure voice for an equally afraid man. A sure voice of a leader.

"Will you marry me, Alec Lightwood?"

Alec knew the answer. Few people in the room knew Magnus' answer as well.

So why did it feel like Magnus didn't know how to say that one... _godforsaken_ word?

Magnus quietly assed the ring that was presented to him. It was _too_ perfect. A rose gold ring, divided into three neat sections. The middle section contained tiny and thin melts of folds, while the bordering sections contained alternate square, blue gems and screws. It looked out-of-the-world beautiful in Magnus opinion. He felt _beyond_ touched that _Alec_ chose this ring for him.

He wanted this ring to be given to him in love. He wanted this ring to be given to him with no hesitancy. He wanted this ring to be given to him in pride.

 _It was too much to ask_.

He throat had almost given out a _sob_ that he had been holding in for a long time since he came here. His heart was pumping too loudly all of a sudden. His left eye gave out a small tear, thankfully being shielded from the large mass of hunters on his right.

He wished he could make his voice sound firm and sure like how Alec had done when he asked Magnus the complex question. But he felt if he had done that, his throat would definitely give out that wretched sob.

"Yes," he had finally whispered.

There were cheers erupting from his right once the answer had been given. He could hear applause, whistles and loud words of congratulations being passed over the noise. He was suddenly aware of a weight on his finger to see Alec shakily sliding the beautiful, majestic ring on it. A ring that was fit to belong to a King, Alec at least saw to that.

His confirmed fiancé got up, his own ring gleaming in the bright light of the Institute. Alec wrapped his arms around Magnus waist, making him assume that he was going to receive a hug. So it was a sure surprise when suddenly Magnus found himself being lifted off the ground and clutching tightly onto Alec's shoulders.

He was spun around joyfully by Alec, which _did_ make him, in turn, feel better about himself. He forced a chuckle and rubbed his face against Alec's own to show his thanks at the show of comfort.

Maybe they did look like a cute couple. They probably appeared as a _believable_ couple. Because the cheers were multiplied into ten as they became even more louder.

When Magnus was finally set down on the ground, he stared into the eyes of his future. He stared in into the warm, understanding hazel hues that entrapped Magnus further and further, leaving him as helpless mist.

Despite the sounds being made in the background, Magnus and Alec stood close to each other, their lips feeling each other's harsh breaths. There were tears in both their eyes, but there was also an emotion that connected them to each other. An emotion that made them understand what the other one was going through. An emotion that left them weak and defeated.

It was admiration.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My tumblr is -justpresent or annplanet ???/  
> Also if any of you want to see the pictures of the rings just go on my tumblr where I would've posted this chapter's aesthetic. The rings are contained in them.  
> Also I know Izzy and Jace seem a bit too... accepting of all this but there is something I have planned which will be revealed in the next chapter. It's nothing big but just a bit of an eye-opener  
> Okay guys,  
> See you soon with the next chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey you guys! I am so sorry for the delay and I'm so sorry for giving the following excuses;  
> I was sick and I had exams but I promise that I would try to update frequently. But don't take the promise too seriously *hides*  
> So anyways here is the next chapter.   
> To be honest I'm not proud of it but whatever, i'll do better next time   
> Also I had written a one shot called Please Keep on beating, Heart which is a In a Heartbeat AU so if any of you guys are interested to read it, go read it!  
> I really don't have anything else to say... so onward to the chapter.

It had been three days since Magnus last saw Alec.

Three days since their engagement.

Ever since the confirmed proposal took a high road, Magnus' visit at the New York Institute was extended for an indefinable but small number of days. He would leave the cold and business-like Institute after his...wedding, and would go back home with a change in his life.

He would go back home with his husband.

Magnus shuddered with nerves spiking his spine. He was sitting in his room, quietly staring out of the window. He now knew why everyone considered his room to be the best. There was a small, yet adorable garden that welcomed anyone who peered out of the drabbish windows. Few musical birds also flew into the garden to give Magnus a wave of peace and normality from time to time.

Magnus was hiding in his room due to the fact that he was frankly quite tired of all the work he has had been doing for the last three days...Okay, he's exaggerating. Even Alec was taking the brunt of the preparations they were all readying.

That work was the _wedding_.

Magnus never had anything against weddings. He's attended a few and had found himself to enjoy most of them. The grandeur, the joy, the reunions and new beginnings of happy lives. But Magnus didn't know that there was so much effort applied in planning _one_.

Though the main preparations were being looked after by the Clave and Luke and Ragnor, Magnus was often called for flower choices, cake choices et cetera et cetera. Boring and tiring as well.

Magnus in fact had to go the very same day to choose his tux for the wedding. He was quite frankly worried if Alec wouldn't go with him. It was a shallow reason, but Magnus wanted their outfits to match a bit. Put a bit of a front of a cooperative to-be-married couple. But the disappearance of Alec Lightwood in the past three days put a damp to his hopes.

Even when people approached him for opinions on the flowers and cakes, it was only Jace and Izzy that helped him on Alec's behalf. They said that Alec trusts their choices and would not complain. Magnus was convinced, but was also aware that the strong warrior was avoiding him.

And Magnus couldn't blame him because he was sort of avoiding him as well.

Every time Magnus walked in the hallways, or the courtyard, or entered into a random room, and caught a glimpse of Alec, his mind would give a big ' _NOPE_ ' and he would turn away. Anyone seeing him like that would've started laughing. He even oddly remembers Ragnor had noticed him and gave a snort.

A cute lovebird perched itself on the edge of the window, whistling at Magnus on greeting. Magnus gave a small grin and even waved (he _really_ loves birds), half expecting the bird to fly away in fear of the shy movement from Magnus. He was pleasantly surprised to see that it didn't and rather played a few musical notes before flying away after hearing another one its kind beckon it with their notes too.

Magnus recalled yesterday when he was called to a room with several flavors of cakes presented to him. Jace and Izzy stood there quietly, offering him a small smile before standing next to him and helping him choose the wedding cake. Magnus peered at the different flavors and even tasted a few. " _Oh sweet goodness"_ he had uttered when he had a bite of a cherry cake. He had closed his eyes, relishing the flavor, only to open them to see a slightly alarmed expressions on Jace and Izzy's faces.

Izzy hands had been extended in front of her as if she had tried to stop him only to pause midway with a grimace. "Um, Magnus? The cherry is kind of out of the question," Izzy meekly had said, clearly not knowing how to put the next words appropriately. "Alec really hates cherry."

Magnus had dropped the spoon so fast and turned away from the cake as if he hadn't even tasted it. Jace and Izzy had let out relieved sighs at Magnus' show of agreement. In the end, he had chosen a magnificent blueberry cake, every stage of decorated with fresh blueberries and some flowers.

Magnus shook his head at the near mistake he had done yesterday, but was very pleased to have found a cake at last. A very simple one, yet majestic.

Three knocks graced his silent room, making him look up in surprise. Usually, in the mornings, he would be very eager to just sit in bed with his pajamas on and deal with business in his own room. But he was grateful to have listened to the nagging thought at the back of his head to dress up fashionably today.

"Come in," Magnus called out, sitting up straight on the edge of the bed. The door swung open, showing Luke and Ragnor on the other side. They looked to be a bit irritated.

"Why do you intend to have such a huge affair for the marriage?" Ragnor huffed, flopping down on the spot besides Magnus. "Can't you just sign a piece of paper and get it done with?"

Magnus rolled his eyes. "Because my dear cabbage, the Clave wants it to be very evident that they are trying, _trying_ , to put in effort to mend our alliance with them." Magnus raised one leg on the bed, resting it under the leg that was hanging from the side of the bed. "And don't pretend you don't enjoy it. I saw you yesterday being pampered in that salon," Magnus said pointedly, grinning to mock his horned friend.

"And I have two good eyes to prove it as well," Luke sniggered. " _Please polish my horns so that when people who fear me can see their pathetic expressions on it!_ " Luke impersonated, giving his best British accent and snooty expression.

Magnus decided to join in. " _Sharpen them so that they have a reason to fear_!"

Luke laughed. " _My hair should be curly, not frizzy!_ "

" _My jacket should be celadon green. Not asparagus green!"_

"Now guess who isn't going to make it through the night today," Ragnor snarled, having enough of his two juvenile friends. He turned to Luke with an unimpressed expression. "Why are you such a child, Garroway?"

Luke snorted at Ragnor's rebuke. "Why such a diva, Fell?"

Ragnor sent a blast of magic in a fit of obnoxiousness, making Luke duck out of the way and onto the bed where Magnus was sitting. The ball of unnecessarily applied magic hit the dull, gray color coffee table, replacing it with such a bright pink color, that it could hurt the eye.

Luke unsurprisingly didn't look offended or angry at Ragnor sudden fit. His face was covered with exasperation. "Were you seriously going to change me into pink _again_?" Luke asked incredulously. Ragnor just huffed and sat in the chair beside the newly changed table, making the scene look very comical to Magnus, who was watching the entire thing with a giggling face.

"I think that's going to be Maryse' skin tone when she sees this table," Magnus chuckled, shaking his head at the huffs and scoffs being exchanged between his two dear friends. Ragnor stopped his childish nonsense before giving a dry look to Magnus.

"That's good chubs, already showing concern for your mother in law. You are definitely going to be a family man," Ragnor teased, ignoring Luke's berating looks.

Magnus scoffed and just shook his head at the General. "I do have to admit, your husband to be is quite a... telling person, isn't he?" Ragnor asked suddenly,  offering curious looks.

Magnus tensed and scowled at Ragnor in confusion. "What do you mean by that now, cabbage?"

The horned warlock rolled his eyes at Magnus' denial of the fact. "That whole...lifting you in the air thing, was quite unnecessary." Ragnor threw a quick glance at Luke. "Lucian agrees with me as well."

Luke opened his arms at Ragnor with betrayal written on his face. "Ragnor!"

Magnus glared at the two people with dissatisfaction. "I don't know what Alec was thinking by doing that, but I guess I shouldn't sit here and judge the man I'll be stuck with forever because I have enough time to make an appropriate judgment, right?" Luke and Ragnor sat back surprise at Magnus' sudden change of mood. One minute he was being showing signs of humor and the next, he was defensive and catty.

Magnus got even more angrier seeing his friends' perplexed looks. Why did Ragnor have to mention Alec when Magnus was looking for a distraction away from the hazel-eyed man? Couldn't they understand this was not what he _needed_?

Magnus got up and began to put on a jacket. "I have to go," he threw at his still confused friends. Luke began to show some signs of guilt in his eyes while Ragnor's was hard. Typical of him to not understand fully well of the situation, Magnus had bitterly thought.

Although, Magnus himself began to feel guilty as being harsh with his friends for no reason. He was desperate to leave so that he doesn't need to answer to the over thinking his mind no doubt would be doing soon in front of his friends.

"Magnus we're sorry-" Luke began only to be cut off by Ragnor.

"No we're not," Ragnor harshly said, receiving angry looks from both Magnus and Luke. " _You_ are going to talk, Magnus. Everyone who knows you _very well_ knows that you are hurting every minute of the day ever since the proposal. _Stop being a goddamn wall for fuck's sakes_. "

If this was a cartoon, everyone would've seen steam coming out of Magnus' head. His eyes were threatening to give away the glamour and reveal his real eyes. He was extremely pissed that Ragnor would tell him to open up now.         He didn't want to open up only to relieve himself of burden. He liked the burden, thank you very much. Besides, the aftermath feeling of ridiculousness and regret would make him feel worse. The feeling of regret at yelling his friend disappeared at Ragnor's obnoxious claim.

Magnus eyes hardened to keep the glamour on. "I don't want to, Ragnor," he tired to say slowly, _calmly_. He tried to say it again without the knot in his throat. "I don't want to _talk_ about it, Ragnor. If you can't give me the few minutes of distraction, then I would rather go out into New York and explore," he finished, ready to leave once again through the protests being given by Luke and Ragnor.

"You can't!"

" _Are you insane, chubs?"_

"Do you even know the bounty that could be placed on your head?"

"Are some demented, stupid-"

Three solid knocks silenced the werewolf and warlock from stopping the sudden reckless King.

Magnus composed himself, trying hard to not glare at everything that came into his vision, while Luke and Ragnor were still staring at Magnus' face in wariness. Magnus inhaled through his nose three time and exhaled two times before making his voice sound airy when he called out "Come in."

The door opened wide along with the crack growing on Magnus' heart. On the other side, stood the tall shadowhunter who was also stuck in the same miserable fate as Magnus.

Alec studied the people in the room with apprehension. It was clear from his expression that he had heard snippets of the conversation being shared between the three downworlders. If he saw the out of place pink table, he elected to ignore it. Instead his eyes rested upon Magnus professionalism and a bit of worry. Magnus tried to smoothen his expression more.

"I'm not disrupting anything important, am I?" Alec asked, looking straight into Magnus' eyes for the first time in days. Magnus was bit taken aback by the sudden change and shook his head.

"No, you didn't," he said, forcing a smile on his face. "Was there something you need though?"

Alec shared a disbelieving look with the other two people present in the room before looking back at Magnus. "We have an appointment with the tailor right about now regarding our suits." Magnus cursed himself inwardly for forgetting the date before forcing a believing grin onto his colorful face.

"Oh, right." He stopped himself before looking behind Alec. "I-is it just going to be us?"

Alec squirmed at the question, "And the tailor," he offered weakly to lighten up to mood in the room, but failed and cringed at his attempt. Magnus may not show in his face, but he was a bit warmed by the cute little action.

Luke and Ragnor were still looking at Magnus, unimpressed.

"I see," Magnus forced out, he began to walk out of the room once again, with Alec by his side, who assumed it quickly. "Let's go then," he said hurriedly wanting to leave now. Alec didn't question his haste and began to walk away as well.

Magnus forgot to close the door.

"Ragnor! Seriously?"

"It's been three days! He is a King and he can't afford to sit and mourn for all that's about to come!"

Magnus flinched visibly, his heart being pressed tighter under the invisible hands of nothing. He looked to the side to see Alec walking awkwardly beside him. He prayed that Alec didn't hear that.

But the downcast eyes contradicted Magnus' plea.

~~  ~~  ~~

"Was that a bad time?" Alec asked shyly. They were standing outside the Institute, waiting for a cab to come pick them up. At first, Magnus asked Alec if he could portal them to the tailor instead, but Alec made a good point saying that Magnus hasn't been there and in a confusing place like New York, they could pretty much get lost.

Magnus gave a small smile to Alec before looking at the road in front of them, trying to will the cab to suddenly appear, "No, you came at a time I needed an exit," Magnus assured, squinting his eyes at the distant car coming in their direction.

Once their cab was there, the two grown men nestled themselves calmly, but awkwardly, into the seats. Alec gave a vague address to the driver, making absolute no sense to Magnus whatsoever. He decided to just lean back and observe the magnificent skyscrapers of the State in the silence offered by him and Alec.

Magnus' prediction was a bit true that he and Alec won't talk throughout their trip, but surprisingly, Alec began speaking, "Do you have anything in mind about what you would like for your suit?"

Magnus turned his head away from the window and frowned at Alec in confusion. He took an embarrassingly long moment to realize that Alec was talking to him. When he did, he composed himself hurriedly, "Oh, um, I really don't know what styles the tailor could offer to someone of my taste, to be honest," Magnus said fumblingly, his finger lacing and unlacing themselves frequently.

Alec hummed in understanding, allowing few more seconds to pass for Magnus to get comfortable, "I think you'll find plenty. My mom apparently picked the best one in town," he said with a grimace and a cringe, emphasizing on the great lengths in mother went on. Magnus felt oddly relaxed at Alec's disgust and disagreement with Maryse.

"It's not hard to fine one in a place like New York, maybe that was why it was so easy for her to find one," Alec added, finally looking out of the window on his side in a daze, clearly bothered by something significant.

Magnus lowered his head to try catch a look from his fiancé, "Is everything okay, Alexander?" he asked, sincerely worried.

Alec looked back at him in disorientation, his eyebrows high up on his forehead. An adorable sight if you asked Magnus, "Oh nothing," he dismissed, shaking his head. He looked out of the window once again before he spoke, "It's just weird that Izzy didn't help me with this." Alec took in a shaky breath. "She didn't even offer, in fact."

Magnus leaned back in his seat in guilt. Why would Izzy want a part in something that was threatening to take away her brother's happiness?

Alec maybe had realized the inner turmoil in Magnus because he looked at him once again, "Magnus, you don't have to break your head over this," he comforted. "Izzy and Jace may have been acting weird about all this but they will soon learn to accept it."

Magnus kept staring at the back of the seat placed in front of him, not feeling at ease even by what Alec had just said. He had hoped that Izzy would be showing her radiant support in a time like this, but... why would she? She may have comforted him a few days ago. She may have given an opinion on the ring he had chosen for Alec. She may have persuaded Jace with her dark intense eyes to at least listen to Magnus. But she could never be untrue with her actual feelings for her brother's saddening future.

Magnus prayed silently that Alec is not _too_ affected by this.

After a few moments of tension, the driver had oddly begun to understand that the conversation that had taken place among the two young and handsome men was not a merry one, for he had turned on the radio; making the insides of the car drenched in soft guitar tunes.

It was an acoustic, Magnus had realized. No lyrics were sung to convey any more of a tune to the simple one playing beautifully in the car. Magnus even closed his eyes for a few seconds, letting the tune be the focus of his over analyzing brain. If only he knew more stuff on music, he probably would've tried to rack his brain to know the chords even.

He started to hear sounds of slow rhythmic tapping coming from Alec's side. He opened his eyes slightly to observe the tall, dark man who was enamored by the rhythm as well.

"Do you know how to play any musical instruments?" Magnus asked, trying to opt for an icebreaker. He _really_ needed this tension to go away.

Alec turned his head to Magnus, his face marred with puzzlement, though it became shy and reserved in the matter of seconds. "Yeah, um, guitar. And a little bit of piano," he revealed, giving a small reverent smile.

"Oh!" Magnus exclaimed, raising his eyebrows in pleasant surprise. "That's so amazing! So if you know how to play the piano a little bit, do you know how to play the guitar extensively?" He asked curiously.

Alec was relaxing by the minute; comforted by the fact that Magnus was being chatty all of a sudden. "My mom wanted all of us to learn how to play at least one instrument at least. Jace was pretty good with a piano, which I have to admit shocked my mom quite a lot," he said, laughing even with bright smile.

Magnus had to swallow to show he wasn't the _least_ affected by the happiness of the man next to him. "Why was she shocked?" he asked, frowning.

Alec shrugged. "My mom has a very stereotypical  way of thinking. She associates the sounds of a piano with art and guitar immediately with obnoxious loud music," he explained, rolling his eyes at his mom. "So she kind of expected that Jace would go for the guitar while I would go for a piano. But the funniest was when that went the other way around. She was so... _confused_ ," Alec finished, grinning wide now and joking.

"She couldn't even comprehend _how_ that happened?" Magnus joined in, face scrunching up in  humor and small giggles. Alec was choking on his little giggles as well.

"No!" He had tears in his eyes now. "I mean, she thought that her shy, reserved boy would _love_ the piano and her daring, bold one would love the guitar!" He was breaking out in chuckles now. "I remember her face and it was so funny. For the first time, Izzy had to pinch me from to stop me from laughing."

"Please tell me that she was in her office all night long trying to figure _that_ out," Magnus begged. He needed more laughs on the behalf of Maryse right _now_.

Alec doubled over, shoulder shaking. Then his face became serious, almost mocking. " _How is it even possible that this didn't go the way  I knew it should have?_ " He said in a ridiculous stern voice.

Magnus was silently overjoyed at Alec's sudden playful nature. He decided to let it go on and joined in, " _I thought it was all fixed! Why did they have to against nature_!" Magnus spoke in a hard and scandalized voice.

Alec couldn't control it when Magnus spoke in the silly voice. He kept leaning back and doubling over trying to keep his laughter quiet. Magnus watched all of this in silent awe. Alec was definitely beautiful when he was _truly_ happy.

The sight was warming Magnus' heart beyond recognition. He genuinely thought that his heart was melting into mush as they kept trading their mockery in silly voices. He wanted this to be the sight that would be the reason for his strength every day.

But it wasn't love.

The thought made Magnus let go of his smile. Almost. He slipped it right back up when Alec looked back at him grinning, finally calmed down from his laughing fit.

Magnus decided to say something funny before Alec notices his inner mood change. "So I recall that you told me you are an archer..."

Alec was leaning slightly towards Magnus, his face showing gratitude for no more awkwardness between them. "Yeah?"

Magnus smiled mischievously and flirtatiously at the same time. "So you're _really_ good with strings..."

Alec leaned away again, though his face held mirth going by the still -stretched smile on his face. Though they were two cute, little yet prominent blushes on his cheeks. "I don't even want to know," he said, chuckling and shaking his head.

Like that, the backseat was covered in tiny giggles, chuckles and snorts of amusements. The driver finally smiled at the adorable sight through the rear mirror.

Happy that the young couple (he's assuming) was happy.

~~  ~~  ~~

"I never thought I would say this but, your mother chose well," Magnus admitted as looked around the tailor shop while their helper had gone in the backroom to bring a measuring tape and a catalogue.

Alec looked up from the fabric he was looking at. The cloths were  sprawled on the table with perfect alignment. Magnus was currently looking at some mannequins with wonder and amazement. Alec smiled a warm smile at how fashion crazed the man is.

"It's pretty good," Alec agreed, nodding at some of the outfits as well with an impressed look.

Magnus looked back at him with a cheeky and excited smile. "I was planning on calling my stylist from home, but honestly, any of these will do," he said, bouncing back and forth on his heels and toes to keep his eagerness all in.

Well he's certainly failing because Alec was literally _dying_ inside from seeing the adorable sight.

"Do you have anything in mind?" Magnus questioned, still looking at a plain white suit while touching its material.

Alec looked at him in surprise.  He never expected to be engaged in a fashion conversation with someone like Magnus Bane, but he had an odd sense of what to say. "Well, according to shadowhunters'  wedding tradition, I have to wear golden."

Magnus pursed his lips, probably at the less number of choices. "So, does that mean I have to wear a golden outfit as well?" He looked slightly disappointed clearly thinking of wearing the classy brown suit that was on display.

Alec paused in his movements. He didn't think of asking the Clave what Magnus should wear. But he had a feeling the Asian man would really not appreciate it if someone dictated him to wear at his own wedding.

Alec decided to be honest. "I actually don't know," he admitted sheepishly. "I didn't think of asking them about whether you wear it too." Magnus looked back at him, perplexed. "I mean, technically our traditions don't extend to you. You, being a downworlder."

Magnus hummed, walking away from the displays and looking at the pictures on the walls now. Alec shifted undecidedly on his feet. "I would really look good in gold," Magnus hummed again in thought. A dazed look on his face almost imagining himself in one.

"No shit," Alec mumbled without a thought. Magnus turned his head in confusion.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?"

"What- um, no," Alec stammered, trying to fix his no-filter moment from before. "I-I didn't say any-anything," he tried to add without a stutter but failing miserably. He was so caught in his thoughts that Magnus would never look bad anything, he didn't try to shut his mouth when he muttered _that_.

Magnus observed him in amusement before looking at the photographs once again.

Alec was grateful for the conversation they had in the car. It clearly eased whatever discomfort was lurking between them ever since the engagement. Alec had to admit, he was partly to blame for that. He was so overwhelmed by the sudden happenings in his life that he desperately had needed some space from Magnus. But it had gotten to a point that even Magnus had noticed the blatant avoidance.

"Ah! I've gotten everything I needed!" Their tailor announced, his arrival making both the men to look at him. True to his word, he was holding a measuring tape and at least four catalogues. "Now, we can start out business!"

The next two hours were the two men just looking at each catalogue, trying to make sure they make the right choice. Magnus even conversed with the tailor about random styles and materials for the outfits which the helpful man joyfully engaged in.

Even Alec, who wasn't the type of a guy interested in fashion and the latest trends, paid close attention to everything the tailor was saying. Magnus frequently explained to him things that he needed to watch out for, while not sounding too condescending just because Alec was not well versed in the fashion department. For once, Alec didn't feel small.

Alec genuinely couldn't decide to take which one. All of them looked pretty magnificent to him. But the best way to go was avoiding the styles whichever Magnus made  subtle disgusted looks at. At least that in a way shortlisted some for him.

As the pages kept turning, they finally reached the middle one of the sixth catalogue (the tailor had smiled when he was asked by the good looking couple for another book of designs), when Alec's eyes fixated themselves on a suit.

He put his hand on it almost like he was trying touch it. There was something that was just... _right_ about this one. The jacket was predominately black, but there were deigns of golden vines that started from the each shoulder downwards, curving slightly inwards around the buttons and ending towards the ends of the jacket.

It was simple. It was gold. It was regal.

It was a beginning.

"Alexander? Do you like this one?" a voice asked him softly.

He looked up from the suit to see Magnus looking at him with a proud look. No doubt proud of the beautiful design that was chosen by his reserved fiancé.

Alec noticed that he was stopping Magnus from turning the page because of his admiring stare at the well fitted suit. He gave a shy look to him and nodded. The tailor looked happy at the choice he made, giving random details about it that made Alec like it even more and Magnus get a more and more impressed look on his face.

"Looks like you chose the right one, Alexander," Magnus complimented, giving a wink to the hazel-eyed man, causing him to blush furiously.  Magnus took in a deep breath and turned towards the tailor. "Well, that's decided then. We'll have this." Magnus pointed at the suit Alec had chosen. "For my red groom, of course. And number seventeen for me, please, Magnus finished, closing the book to hand it over.

Alec looked at Magnus with surprise etched on his face. If the last part wasn't mentioned, Alec would've probably fixated on being called the red groom (was he blushing _that_ much?), but he was surprised at the fact that all this while they had been only looking for his suit while Magnus had already chosen his. He didn't see any change in Magnus' demeanor throughout their search. He tried to rack his brain to see if Magnus had shown interest in any of the suit which he didn't pay mind to before.

"You found yours already?" Alec asked, looking at Magnus with wide eyes. Magnus looked back with a gleam in his shiny brown eyes.

He smirked. "Yes," he answered simply.

Alec reached for the books left on the table by the tailor who has gone to fill in the orders. "Which one is it?" He asked again, opening one of the books for Magnus to show him.

A hand stopped him from turning the pages. Alec froze and looked up to see Magnus looking at him with mischief. "I was thinking of it remaining as a surprise," he spoke smoothly. He leaned towards Alec to whisper in his ear: "Don't be so eager, Alexander. You'll see soon."

Magnus rubbed circles on Alec's hand, _which definitely rubbed Alec in a different way_ , before leaning away from him to smile at the tailor approaching them for measurements.

Another excruciating hour passed with Alec and Magnus taking their turns to give their measurements for their suits. Alec even snuck away to peer at the catalogues to wonder which suit Magnus may have chosen.

What? He'd really like to be prepared, thank you very much.

"Hey, are we done now?" Magnus asked, once they both were standing outside the building of the shop. Alec peered at the Sun overhead and checked the time on his phone. It was surprisingly only three in the afternoon.

"I guess," Alec mumbled thoughtfully to Magnus, still squinting at the time displayed on his phone.

"Oh," Magnus plainly said, sounding a bit defeated. Alec looked up to see Magnus looking quite underwhelmed.

A bulb began to glow right above Alec's head. "Hey, do you want to go eat something?"

Magnus looked up, bewildered. "Now?"

"Yes, now. Are you hungry?"

Magnus took a moment to reply. "I guess I'm kind of famished."

Alec beamed at the response, very happy and eager to see Magnus' reaction to what he was about to show to him. "I know a great place. It's just a little bit of a walk from here."

Hearing that, Magnus gave a grateful look to Alec.

It never occurred to the shadowhunter that even in the few days that Magnus Bane had been staying at the Institute, he probably hated it with all his life. Alec knew that he did.

The duo were walking down the sidewalks, periodically commenting on something they saw on the way. Though there was a smooth flowing conversation, Alec couldn't help but be a bit dazed in his thoughts.

The wedding was definitely going to tie with someone that he may never be able to love in the way a normal married couple would. But he could see (and have a clear assurance of it) that he could probably live with Magnus comfortably. They could be good friends that supported each other and may love each other platonically in the future.

The best thing out of it all, Magnus didn't seem like a person who would force him into anything that would make Alec running for the hills. He was respectful of his boundaries, aware of Alec's intentions and understanding of the entire situation. There didn't seem for the need of a transparent conversation among them.

Because right now, Alec wanted to make a friend.

Once they reached the place Alec had in mind, Magnus looked around in curiosity while Alec was smiling happily at the recognition of the place.

"I figured that since you're in New York, you should definitely try the bacon burgers we have here in East Village," Alec professed shyly. Magnus was staring at the apartment buildings, probably wondering the lives of the people living there.

Few silent seconds had passed for Magnus to reply, "Well, you clearly know what you're doing, Alexander. I'm not minding the view one bit." Magnus looked away from the tall building to give an accepting smile to Alec, "Lead me to the restaurant. I wasn't lying when I said that I'm famished."

Alec gave a closed-lipped smile to Magnus and began to lead him to the restaurant where he and his siblings usually eat. Once they were inside, Magnus started to look around again in amazement and wide-eyes. He looked like he was trying to engrave the entire picture into his brain.

To Alec, the place just looked normal. But maybe to Magnus, the place looked...unique.

After they were seated and received menus, Magnus started to scour the options. Alec kept the menu down on the table to just observe Magnus' reactions, a playful smirk dancing across his lips. Frequently, Magnus would widen his eyes in judgment, or wonder. He would narrow them if he couldn't understand how some dishes _even_ exists. In between he would let out an occasional 'what the fuck'.

And maybe hearing him swear like _that_ may have made Alec shift around in his seat.

"Bacon burgers?" Magnus inquired when Alec reminded him to choose the famous dish. "That does sound really good," he said while looking at the menu, once Alec had silently nodded.

"I think you won't regret it," Alec said, signally for the waiter to come to their table. Once he had ordered two bacon burgers, two lemonades and a basket of garlic bread, then the  two men looked at each other in the eye.

Magnus' brown eyes were looking cautious, as if he was not that impressed by  the sound of bacon burgers. Alec playfully rolled his eyes.

"Come on, it's going to taste just _fine_ ," Alec assured, though Magnus still looked alarmed.

"It's not going to ruin my taste palate, right?" Magnus asked haughtily. Alec closed his eyes and gave a deep sigh to annoy Magnus.

"It's going to _enhance_ your taste palate," Alec scoffed in defense. "Try something new for once in your life, old man," he playfully chided. Magnus stopped looking at the ornament on the far opposite wall to look at Alec with an offended look.

"Did you call me _old_?" Magnus gasped. Alec shrugged, being daring.

"And I stated a fact," Alec snarked, a side smile playing on his face. Magnus leaned back, gaping at the shadowhunter in front of him. He narrowed his eyes, taking the challenge.

"I bet you write letters instead of texting conveniently to your friends," Magnus gave back, huffing and crossing his arms. Alec looked at him with a confused one eyed-squint.

"Is that how are you going to defend yourself now?" Alec scoffed. "You did it exactly like how an old man does it."

"Be careful with that tongue Lightwood," Magnus warned. "Next time you talk about me AND have the word 'old' in the same sentence, I will make sure that your 'bacon burger' arrives here rotten."

Few moments went where Alec just looked at Magnus in astonishment. Soon, he began to burst out in chuckles which transcended into heavy laughs that didn't show any sign of stopping. Magnus looked at Alec with surprise before he soon started to give a few giggles of his own.

"What?" Magnus asked in between his chuckles. Alec just shook his head, tears forming in his eyes.

"N-nothing," he broke out midway his laughs. Magnus rolled his eyes warmly.

"Oh come on," he whined. "Please tell me." Alec was now holding onto the edges of the table, his laughter subsiding a bit, his shoulder relaxing as well. He looked up to see Magnus giving him fond looks.

"Nope, not telling you," Alec said, deciding to remain stubborn. He heard the sound of a foot stomping beneath the table, no doubt that it was coming from Magnus, who was still looking at him expectantly.

Alec sighed finally, giving in to Magnus' facial coaxing. "You looked so... out of your zone for a second there," Alec pointedly observed. Magnus stopped shaking excitedly to halt into a motionless statue. His face slowly frowning.

Alec sighed again. There goes the child-like and playful Magnus.

"What do you mean that I'm out of my zone?" Magnus asked guardedly. Alec may or may not have tensed up at the stoic exterior of his fiancé again, like he has been doing for the last few days.

Alec looked at Magnus' face with caution, trying to detect any sign of offence or a broken wall. But Magnus seemed to be the poker faced King once again.

"You always seem like you're carrying the world on your shoulders," Alec carefully said, trying to quickly pick up any change in Magnus' face. There was only a raised inquiring eyebrow thrown at him. "Even when you're flirting or..." Alec tried to find the right word, "...relaxing."

Alec was bent over the table with a slouch by now, striving to not be pushed away by Magnus after his unnecessary comment.

He _had_ to realize that what he said was not needed _after_ he said it. When did he become the one without the filter?

He began to pick on the insides of his palm nervously, looking down and praying that he has enough self-resistance to not look up. He still felt there was a statue sitting in front of him.

When he did finally look up, Magnus was still sitting straight, but not looking at Alec ; rather wistfully watching the life displayed outside the restaurant's windows. His face was holding what Alec had been told about, a King's somber.

Alec desperately wanted to bring back the ice breaker that Magnus had ever graciously put in before all of _this_ , but he was getting the impression that maybe, _maybe_ , Magnus wasn't in the mood for small talk.

" _Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown_ ," Magnus uttered, his words tickling Alec with a shiver. When he finally looked away from the window to gaze at Alec with a pained stare, Alec had to swallow with great difficulty the lump kneading inside his throat.

Alec raised his eyebrows in response. "William Shakespeare," he stated, his mouth forming a shaking, nervous smirk. Magnus gave him a small smile.

"You like his works?" With that, the entire tension dissipated. Alec was slightly envious that Magnus seemed to always know how to do that. But he took the bait to start an easy conversation anyways.

"A few," Alec revealed, smiling at Magnus slowly brightening personality.

Magnus cocked his head to the side in question. "What's your favorite quote?"

Alec hesitated, slightly wary of the response he might get from Magnus when he reveals his favorite. His all time loved quote by William Shakespeare was a very ignored one. He never found anyone who particularly enjoy it as much as he did. It was a quote used plainly and flippantly.

" _Moderate your tone with a few drops of decency_ ," Alec plainly revealed, deciding that since this was the man he was going to marry, he'd rather tell him everything, even something as silly and overlooked as a quote. There should be no need for hesitance and fear of judgment.

Magnus proved to be a good partner because he just nodded and hummed 'Merchant of Venice' when he said that. Alec blushed slightly at the impressed look he received from Magnus.

"Have you been anywhere besides your homeland, Idris?" Magnus questioned again, his soft brown eyes friendly. Alec pondered for a moment.

"I've been to the Toronto Institute once with my siblings and in the end, we stayed there for five days and just explored the place. But that's about it..." Alec sheepishly finished his sentence. With that amount of shyness he was speaking with, he had begun to fear that Magnus would soon start finding him boring and was would just get and leave.

"That's...sad. You haven't been to Europe? Or even Asia?" Magnus politely asked, his nose scrunched at the new information. Alec nodded, the back of his neck beginning to sweat.

"I recently went to Scotland," Magnus spoke out suddenly. He was looking out the window, no doubt remembering the trip. "On the first day, we had gone to visit the Edinburgh Castle, believed to be one of the most haunted castles in the world, and I swear seeing things move from the corner of my eye. Ragnor just dismissed me and told me that I was just being too influenced by the stories that our guide had been saying to us. But then he got lost for one whole hour and when we found him again, he was literally shaking in his shoes and was refusing to tell us what he saw. He was like that for the most of the day even when we visited the H.M.Y Britannia-Wait, what am I even doing? Am I speaking too much?" Magnus asked with his eyes narrowed; seeking assurance.

"No!" Alec blurted, angering himself for letting Magnus go and think that. "No, you're speaking alright. Now, go on, tell me more. I'm hooked." Alec smiled a big smile and he could feel the corners of his eyes crinkling with desperation to show his eagerness. Magnus scoffed but began to weave the tale once more.

He pretty much didn't notice throughout the lunch date that there were two, barely noticeable, little hearts present in the hazel hues of Alec's eyes.

~~  ~~  ~~

The date had gone as well as Alec's unperceived thoughts. Very surprising.

The duo had walked around for a while before deciding to go back to the Institute where they're duties await. In the duration, Alec was pleasantly, and gratefully, surprised to find himself coming up with stories to entertain Magnus as well. He managed to even conjure up a few breathless laughs from the shorter man, and even a higher self-esteem for himself. He adapted to Magnus flair for dramatics and even performed some of his own while conversing.

The thing that put the cherry (wait, not cherry, he hates that), what put a _strawberry_ on his day was when they reached the Institute and Magnus didn't want to leave his side.

Magnus asked him if they would like to continue their fun once they entered the Institute, but Alec received a text from his sister saying that she wanted to talk to him and was waiting for him at the back entrance. A sick part of Alec was pleased to see the slightly crestfallen look on Magnus' face when their day was cut short. That means he was unwilling to let go of Alec. But he understood nevertheless and allowed Alec to leave.

"I mean, we could meet in the morning for breakfast? I know this place that has a good reputation for pancakes," Alec said, letting the offer hang in the air. Magnus gave him an apologetic look.

"My friend is arriving tomorrow and I want to help her get settled here so, sorry. Maybe next time, Alexander," he said and then turned around to walk to his room alone. It was Alec's turn to feel slightly disappointed.

He frowned at the excuse given to him. Why would _Magnus_ care so much for a friend that he needs to help her get settled down at the Institute? Alec wondered whether the woman who was coming for Magnus tomorrow was in anyway a possible lover for him.

Alec shook his head to get rid of the degrading thought. Magnus as a person had a close knitted family just like him. Maybe the girl is just another figure in his own chosen family. Maybe it's Catarina, Jocelyn or Clary.

Alec blushed at how much he already know about Magnus. The man had explained to him all the people in his life. The wise, witty nurse, Catarina. The artistic, motherly Jocelyn. And the tiny, fiery redhead Clary. There were more people mentioned but at the moment, Alec concentrated on who could possibly be coming for Magnus tomorrow.

Alec was slightly embarrassed by the way how obvious he had been being enamored by the presence that was in front of his the entire day. And the worst part was that he didn't care if Magnus noticed the way he was hanging onto every word he was saying and how enthralled he was being with the information being given to him. Magnus was a good storyteller, Alec will have to give him that, he had a way of making everything sound everything pleasing to hear with absolute no nuisance. It was a bonus as well that he had a wonderfully smooth voice.

Alec skipped as he walked to the back entrance of the Institute. He felt a pleasant chill settling on his body and a sort of high feeling swimming in his brain. He was on cloud nine because of how well he was getting along with Magnus.

The cut was made when a newbie passed by him and Alec gave him a bright, welcoming smile; which he didn't even give to the newbie when he had first arrived. The younger boy looked puzzled by the gesture but moved along anyways.

Once Alec had reached his intended destination, he took out his phone to ask his sister on her whereabouts. The area was deserted, as obvious as the fact that the back entrance was a place very rarely used. He wondered why Isabelle would even call him here.

The absence of his sister in the dark and musty hallway made Alec suspicious. What was she up to now?

"Alec!" a voice aggressively whispered. Alec turned fast to see that the door opened and his parabatai, Jace standing outside with an urgent look. He surveyed left and right of Alec before beckoning him  to join the blonde boy outside of the Institute as well.

Alec scowled in confusion but followed his brother's instructions regardless. "What are you doing out here?" Alec demanded as he passed away from the door. The outsides of the back of the Institute was nothing special. The whole space was just unused with the view of the vines crawling up the walls of the ancient building and a small lane used only by very few mundanes in the morning for cycling and jogging purposes.

Jace ignored Alec's inquiring looks by inspecting the sides of the building, making sure no is there to eavesdrop. "Where the hell is Izzy?" Jace cursed to himself. Alec tensed up.

"Wait, you don't know where Izzy is?" Alec asked fearfully. Did she call Jace here as well and is for some unknown reason, is in trouble and can't make it to where her two agitated brothers were standing?

"What?" Jace looked back at Alec with confusion. His morphed into one of a dismissal and disgust a second later. "No, I know where she is. It's just... what's taking her so long?"

The more words coming out of Jace's mouth that didn't sound like an explanation as to why Alec was called here, the more annoyed the promised Head of the Institute started to become.

"What have did you both do?" He demanded, asking for no more bullshit. The entire euphoric mood he was in before with Magnus was replaced with one of pure irritation and wary.

"It's for your best," Jace assured. Before Alec could ask for a _more_ _perfect and dense_ elaboration, the door opened wide with no sound. The entrance revealed Alec's younger sister, Izzy, who was huffing and panting while holding a large grey duffle bag.

"What the hell took you so long?" Jace demanded, clearly having not liked of being waited for a second longer than he had been asked. Izzy kept trying to catch her breath, but still casted a dark and silencing look to Jace.

"Alec, we need to get you out of here," Izzy started, walking over to Alec and handing him the duffle bag. Alec, who stood there perplexed, grabbed the bag without a complain. "What?" he asked cloudlessly.

Izzy rolled at her brother's slowness. "We.Are.Getting.You.Of.This.Hellhole. Did you get that in your thick skull? No what are you waiting for? Let's go!" Izzy yelled, jogging away from him along with Jace.

"G-go where?" Alec spluttered. The sibling duo stopped at Alec's reluctance to follow. "What are you both doing? Go-go where? L-leave w-what? Why would I do all of that?" Alec stammered. He had no clue what his siblings were plotting. He was just being handed a bag and asked to be shipped away.

His eyes were filled with tears because deep down, he understood what his loved ones were asking him to do. "How could you just ask me to do... _that_?" He whispered quietly.

Jace shook his head in annoyance and walked back to where Alec was standing. Alec's breath was caught in his throat and he can't speak. "We _know_ that you don't want to get married. Come on, Alec, we're trying to help you escape from this...confinement." Alec was deeply breathing by now.

"We booked you a flight to London and I know some shadowhunters who could help you to start all over again," Izzy explained, walking towards Alec.

Alec tried to concentrate on Izzy's face but his eyes were too hazy to comprehend anything. Did his siblings really think that he was capable of doing a thing like this? This _dishonor_?

"What about the both of you-" Alec began once more before Izzy snapped.

"We can take care of ourselves, okay Alec? Please, for our sakes' just do this for yourself. Jace and I will visit you as much as we can-"

" ** _SHUT UP!"_**

Izzy stopped speaking immediately, and Jace stopped clicking his tongue in annoyance. Alec's voice reverberated in the sad-looking backyard of the Institute, the only other sound challenging it was a street cat's inquisitive 'meow' at the sudden loud sound.

Alec was trying to calm his breathing and willing his tears to not fall. He was staring at brother and sister with all the anger he could find within himself.

"Did you really think that I would just leave behind everything I've worked so hard for in my entire life, just because in the end I didn't get what I've always wanted? Di-did you really think that I'm the sort of person who would try to find an easy way out of something? That-that-that I would bring dishonor on my entire family because I did not get what I wanted?"

Alec gave a scandalized look to Izzy before turning towards his parabatai's guilty face. "You really think that you could just call me over here in this-in this _backyard_ and tell me _'Run away from your duty! Start over! What could you lose?_ '"Alec shook his head in rage. "I could lose my face! Did you both even think about that? What face would I show in...London, you say?" Jace and Izzy didn't respond.

Alec began again, "You want me to leave and lose a face in the process. Did you both think that I was that selfish?" Again, Izzy and Jace did not respond. But they both sure did look miserable. Alec gave a bitter laugh. "I thought both of you understood me better."

Izzy and Jace's collective waterworks began. They both had a funny way of crying. It was more like two warriors crying, their tears not flowing too fast nor sporadically, it flowed with evenness and truth and guilt.

"Alec," Izzy sobbed. " _Please_ , you have to believe me. We didn't want to disgrace you. We wanted to _free_ you." Alec looked away. Izzy jogged over to where Alec was standing to make him face her.

"Alec _, please_ , you are our big brother. We care about you. We didn't want you to do something that you could regret. Please believe me. Jace and I didn't want to ruin you," Izzy voiced cracked in the middle to give hard sobs. Her eyeliner had begun to smudge.

Alec turned back to Jace with tears in his eyes to see that the blonde boy was no better. His shoulders were shaking and his face was covered by his calloused hands.

Alec had never seen this side of his siblings. The side that was so desperate to see him happy. He mentally scolded himself for looking too miserable for making them feel this guilty of trying to help get out of his perceived miserable situation.  He felt bad for yelling so loudly at them, because in the end, they thought that was what he needed. What he really needed was his siblings to be happy. Exactly why he was sacrificing himself in the first place.

The duffle bag was near his feet, which he had dropped ages ago. He kicked it away to walk over to Jace and extended his arm to him. Jace gladly accepted and ran into Alec's arms to cry on his shoulders. He heard a harsh cry coming from his right. He turned to see Izzy was staring at him and Jace with endless sadness and helplessness.

He spreaded his other arm and allowed Izzy to walk into his arms well. Her knees wobbled when she finally reached him. Alec held her tight, swearing to never let her go.

As both his siblings had begun to vent their true feelings about the marriage into his chest and shoulder, Alec tried his best comfort them. He assured them with words of 'I'm fine', 'It will be alright' and 'I'm strong, don't worry'. Because in the end, his family just want the best for him.

"Did you tell max about this?" Alec asked, his voice hoarse. Izzy and Jace had finally calmed a bit after their episode.

Izzy sniffed. "No, we were planning to tell him after you left." Alec's heart constricted at that. "It was actually him who gave us the idea."

"He was talking about how unfair it was that you were being married to someone you don't love and that he wished he could take you away somewhere far," Jace clarified. "Izzy and I got the idea at the same time."

"We thought that this would be what you wanted," Izzy quietly said, "You were ignoring Magnus for the past few days and we just...connected the dots and figured you would want to run away."

Alec swallowed toughly. It was not only Magnus who took his silence in the wrong way. "You clearly didn't know what I truly wanted then. Don't get me wrong, I'm still mad at you both for planning all of...this." Izzy and Jace looked down in shame. "But you did it for the sake of seeing me happy. But, hear me out clearly now. This would've not made me happier. And stop looking at Magnus as a source of unhappiness in my life." He rubbed his siblings' shoulders. "I still have both of you, right? I'll depend on the both of you any day for good laughs and smiles."

"So _please_ , don't make me run away from my problems. Don't assume that this was what I wanted. It took me a long time to get out of our Clave's traditional assumptions of a perfect warrior and figure out what I've always wanted in my life. I always wanted to see all three of you happy."

"What about your happiness?" Izzy protested. Jace began to show a defaint look as well.

"Didn't I just say that I just want to see you both happy? If I get that, wouldn't I be happy?"

Izzy and Jace were not convinced but they all seemed to be accepting Alec's wishes regardless. And that definitely did help Alec get relieved. "What is that thing that I always say?" Jace and Izzy stared at him in question. " ** _We're Lightwoods. We break noses and accept the consequences._** "

" ** _We're Lightwoods. We break noses and accept the consequences._** "

~~                      ~~                         ~~

 

Magnus made way among the crowds of mundanes, towards the arrivals gate of the airport. He was on his way to pick up his dear friend, Clary Fray.

During the meeting with a wedding planners, Alec, Maryse, Ragnor and Luke, Magnus had realized that he hadn't called the young girl and informed her of all the news that was now happening in his life. When Clary's name was called out in the invitees list, Ragnor, Luke and him froze.

"Oh dear god, I forgot our dear little biscuit," Magnus had admitted sheepishly. Luke had rubbed the back of his head and grumbled about how it's his fault as well.

Alec had frowned at the sound of Clary's name "Clary? Is she someone special to you?" He had questioned disagreeably. His posture had been stiff and his eyes were narrowed at Magnus in irritation.

Magnus had hesitated before making a small 'meh' sound. "She's like a little sister to me." Magnus had been a bit smug at seeing Alec relax after that information. Then, Magnus had turned to Luke apologetically. "I'll call  and tell her _everything_ once all of this is done."

Luke frowned slightly, before changing his look before anyone could make out his slight discomfort. Clary has now occupied his heart and fulfilled the place of a daughter to the dear werewolf. There was an obvious reluctance from Ragnor, Magnus and Luke to bring Clary to the wedding. One, she's a shadowhunter and an exiled one at that. Two, she's the sister of Sebastian Morgenstern and daughter of Valentine Morgenstern, two evil maniacs.

Magnus was worried at the reactions the young girl would receive once she arrives at the Institute. He even considered give her a fake background so that she doesn't have to mention anything about her psychopathic family members to the New York shadowhunters. Jocelyn had already made it clear to Magnus that she would rather await at home and greet his partner once they arrive. She didn't want to confront any of her old friends who might be present at the wedding. Also, Jocelyn had never been favorable to the crowds, especially the ones that would judge her harshly.

Magnus peered at his watch to see the time, contemplating how many minutes before Biscuit arrived. Once he had told her about the wedding, Clary gushed about how she wants to be there to support Magnus as soon as possible. Magnus had even smiled at her rant about how she was excited to see more people of her kind and learn a bit of her roots.

Unlike Jocelyn, Clary had never cared what other people thought of her. She would be so immersed in a random conversation or in the wallpaper or in a random decoration. She always managed to find a way to occupy her mind from seeing the people sending her weird looks.

Magnus had always made sure that she would receive the ideal life of a shadowhunter. He smuggled a stele and few seraph blades for her to practice with instructors that he had personally assigned. Sometimes, he would spar with her and be amazed at how much fire the little girl had, although he has always won in all their mock battles. She would always grumble from where she would've fallen and mumble that she was just going easy on Magnus. Magnus would just raise an eyebrow and tell her to get her pride together and do better.

"Magnus!" a high pitched voice called.

Magnus looked up to see a tiny energetic person bouncing up and down with a suitcase in her hand. Clary's red hair bounced in excitement; emphasizing on how happy she is to see Magnus. She began to dash her way through the congregations of suitcases, coats and limbs, almost being blown away from the strong New York cold winds.

Once she reached the beaming King, she dropped down her colorful green suitcase, and bounced into Magnus already spread arms. She was jumping even while she was fiercely hugging her older brother figure. "Oh my God! _Oh my God_!"

Magnus laughed at her bubbling joy. "Biscuit, I was with you back home a few days ago."

Clary pulled back with a mischievous smile. "Who said I'm excited to see you?" she teased. Magnus laughed again and ruffled her hair and booped her tiny nose to make her face scrunch up in mock annoyance.

Magnus grabbed her suitcase easily off the ground, ignoring the strong punching protests from Clary. "Good Lord woman! Stop shrieking in my ear," Magnus said, rubbing his one ear at the ear-drum splitting sounds Clary had just made. Clary finally quietened and gave a small pout.

"You know you shouldn't be doing this for me," Clary grumbled. "I can carry all this by myself."

Magnus raised a hand to pinch her cheek lovingly. "I know Biscuit, but I also want to be a gentleman to my family." Clary accepted the excuse begrudgingly, following Magnus' lead, walking with big steps to catch up to him.

"So anyways," Magnus started, turning his head sideways to talk to Clary while walking. "What are you excited to see?" He asked, smiling at her with all his teeth.

Clary gave a wide smile of her own in response. "You know, I've been away from this... this world for so long that I've always wondered..." Clary cleared her throat. "I've always wondered what it's like to be growing up with shadowhunters. Don't get me wrong my life with you guys has been full of drama and fun," she added quickly and teasingly. Magnus rolled his eyes at her argument, still smiling. "I just want to see if there was anything I've been doing wrong, you know? I mean is there a particular way of holding a serpah blade? What if all the rune are to be applied upside down? And what if-"

"Clary, don't worry. You haven't been doing much wrong," Magnus said, stopping in his steps to comfort the underlying worried tone in Clary's voice. "You aren't going to stand out in a bad way to the others." Magnus' suspicions were confirmed when Clary began blushing to show that she indeed was worried about the thoughts the other shadowhunters would have against her. Magnus had never seen her so unsure like this.

"Tell you what," he started suddenly, brining the redhead out of her panicked thoughts. "I've already made good friends with three shadowhunters in the Institute, including Alec. I'll ask one of them the stay by your side throughout and make sure that you won't be alone when I'd be away with the wedding planning," he offered, giving the girl a small comforting smile, which she returned with a big thankful one of her own. Then the smile transformed into her usual mischievous one.

" _'Including Alec'?_ " she shrieked once more in excitement.

"Oh wow. Incredible," Magnus deadpanned, his head shaking in disbelief at what registered in Clary's mind first. He began walking again, with Clary's little legs following his once more.

"Trying to light a spark with your hubby?" Clary teased constantly. Magnus rolled his eyes, which he was found to be doing quite a lot around Clary especially.

"Yeah, but I promise you," Magnus said, stopping in his tracks once again to point a warning finger at Clary. "There's not much to tell you. So do not-" Magnus stopped once he saw the troublesome raised eyebrow on Clary's scheming face. "-I mean, please do not _nag_ any one of us for your inner gossiping old lady's pleasure."

"Okay, okay, okay," Clary conceded, raising her hands up in surrender. "I won't pester," she promised, though her triumphant expression didn't convince Magnus. He raised his eyebrow in question and smirked when she just turned away giggling, clearly already planning her serious torment.

For two minutes, the familial duo walked on the pavement, making crunching sounds of rocks under their winter boots. They talked about various things. Clary asked whether Magnus had a chance to explore New York like he had always wanted, only for him to gracefully give an answer saying that he wanted to do that with her. They had to once again pause their walk because Clary began to hug him tightly _once more_.

They walked a one more block before Clary asked Magnus a question that was bothering her more and more as the minute went by. "Magnus?" Clary started. Magnus gave her a musical and low pitched hum to her in response. "Did you pick me up from the airport all by yourself? Or are there any bodyguards following us that I can't see?" Clary asked, suddenly worried at Magnus' reckless behavior.

Magnus let out a sheepish chuckle. "Well, you see... about that," Magnus tried to explain, but Clary was already glaring at him in reprimand. "I was planning to surprise Ragnor and Luke so I decided to sneak out by myself..." he trailed off when Clary made a sudden stop and stared at him with disbelief and annoyance.

She shook her wavy red hair in defeat. " _Magnus._ "

"I know, I know." Magnus pointed a finger at her in warning of there's more. "But I'm still a genius."

Clary crossed her arms and hummed patronizingly, "Really? _How?_ "

Magnus booped her on the nose. "Because I have cast a glamour on us. And I have been learning on how to cast glamours from the very best. If no one can see, how will they dare to harm?" Magnus smiled in victory as Clary chewed on her lower lip in consideration.

"Even supernaturals?" she asked incuriously. The Downworlder King rolled his eyes in mock annoyance.

"Even all the supernaturals," he assured, walking ahead once again. "I'm praying that you got a good dress for the wedding." Deep down, Magnus was provocatively surprised that he had mentioned about the wedding so casually in front of someone besides Alec. Huh, maybe the entire confrontation and talk with him made Magnus loosen up about it.

Besides, it distracted Clary away from their possible breach of safety and made her grin and rant on about how she found a gorgeous dress back home and how she's excited to show it to her big Fashion brother. Magnus pretended not to notice on how Clary was constantly look left and right wherever they went, being as cautious and trying to constantly cover for Magnus. He inwardly laughed at the little girl's protectiveness.

"I don't want to boast biscuit, but I can totally make someone land on their ass faster than you can," he teased. Clary looked up at him once she had finished describing her outfit; her eyes still glistened with concern but also mock offence.

"Speaking of asses, I still have bruises on mine when you constantly threw me on the ground during our sparring sessions," she muttered.

"That was three years ago!"

"You didn't even let me stand properly!"

"Let it go carrot cake."

"I will not," she replied petulantly, a small pout already forming on her lips. "Your ass looks so good while mine is forever broken."

Magnus gave her an easy smirk. Would it have been any other girl, they probably would've fallen down on their knees if they were receiving end of it. "I like how you check out my ass."

Clary huffed. "Because, it's always just _there_ ," she said defensively. Magnus stopped himself and the envious girl in her tracks.

"Which reminds me," Magnus started, turning away so that his back was to Clary. "How is it looking today?"

He heard another huff from behind. "Now you're just showing off," Clary grumbled.

Magnus laughed while turning back to his previous position. He was so glad that Clary had finally come. Though he was older and there were not many things they had in common, fighting tactics and arts were always their go to topics to talk about. As of now, he didn't realize how much of her presence he needed with him over here. But he also knew soon Clary will find out his mental state in the last few days from Luke or Ragnor and she would become a worried mother figure in seconds.

He was happy that he could have an hour of no pestering of his state with Clary. He could fool around and have no concerned looks thrown on him every time. He put an arm around in subtle gratitude. "Don't worry biscuit, your ass is good too. After all, you are a part of my family."

That's what she had become to him. Family. And not only her, but Raphael, Luke, Ragnor, Jocelyn, Catarina, Madzie, everyone back at the palace. They constituted his heart. No matter how annoyed he got with Luke and Ragnor's worry, they were still his home. He would go back to them no matter what.

His warm thoughts were halted for the time being by Clary's hum of agreement. "That's true. Luke's squat workout changed us all," she giggled. Then she stopped and looked at Magnus in shock. "Wait, did you basically agree that Simon's ass in amazing as well."

Magnus groaned in irritation. Clary caught him.

Simon Lewis had joined his family five years ago. He was a human who was going on a tour with his bandmates when he was bitten by a rogue vampire while wandering the streets alone at night. The rogue vampire made sure that Simon went through with his transition properly before leaving him all alone in a forest.

As a vampire, Simon immediately received the Sight. And with no one to explain to him of what's happening around him, he was on the verge of getting non-existent heart attack every minute of the day. Once, Magnus was traveling to a meeting in a nearby town by car. Obviously he was surrounded by dozens of other cars filled with bodyguards. Though they were glamoured from the humans, Simon spotted them and ran onto the middle of the road trying to stop Magnus' car and begging for help.

He was obviously more frightened when a dozens of weapons were pointed at him in alarm, surprised that Simon had no idea who he was exactly stopping from going on about in their day. Good thing was, Magnus had paused and listened to the rambling boy's plight and decided to help him. He asked Raphael to leave his side and take him back to the castle where he can be explained of everything and taken care of.

Of course, as years went on, Magnus couldn't help but take the rambling and nervous vampire under his care. The boy is too hopeless to be not loved by Magnus.

"I guess," Magnus shrugged and smirked. "Which reminds me, when is _he_ coming here?"

"He's coming with Cat and Raphael ," Clary informed, "Which would be on the day of your wedding."

Magnus hummed a low 'good', pleased and unpleased at the same time. He needed his family's support a lot at the moment, but at the same time he didn't want them to worry over him and nag about his well being. Ragnor and Luke have just been doing that.

Clary and Magnus passed by an ice cream stand that was decorated very childishly, with cartoon characters comprising a series of comics and ornaments that looked like were actual toys. Magnus and Clary shared one long, smiling look, mischief gleaming in their eyes and jogged towards the stand.

Magnus put down the suitcase briefly and began to scour all the items in the menu. Clary was peering over his shoulder with excitement as well; she was bouncing to show her eagerment.

"What do you think?" Magnus asked, glancing over his shoulder to look at Clary. Her face showed it clear that she had already made a decision.

"Orange pineapple," she said simply. And then she smiled cheekily. "With biscuit crumbs."

"I didn't know there was thing where you could eat yourself, Biscuit," Magnus teased, ruffling the redhead's hair. Clary scrunched up her face in delight from the brotherly display of affection.

Magnus quickly gave the order to the employee, and gave time to her for preparing their cones while he gazed around the park adjacent to them. There were a few children running around with their pets, no doubt that their guardians may be around as well. Magnus spied a cute beagle dog trying to catch a Frisbee, it's tail wagging very excitedly and energetically.

Magnus inwardly sighed at the sight, he always wanted a pet. And he could never choose between a cat or a dog. He often received a few weird looks (ALL from Ragnor) whenever he said he liked both.

Magnus stared adoringly at the dog playing with his little chubby, blonde master, when he swear he saw a black figure moving behind it.

He tensed up at once, feeling a shiver of chills tickle his spine. _The shadowy figure could've been anyone_ , a less alarmed part of Magnus' brain  tried to comfort. But the shadow moved a bit too fast out of his vision for his liking.

"Magnus?" Clary's voice brought him out of his discomfort. He looked to the side in puzzlement to see her holding two cones of ice cream in her hand, one bright orange with distinct presence of biscuit crumbs and in her other hand was blueberry ice cream he had ordered.

"What's wrong?" Clary asked worriedly. She tried to find anything wrong from the sight Magnus was looking at, but he doubt she noticed anything odd about the peaceful park. "What were you looking at?"

Magnus tried to shake himself out of his paranoia, giving a forced smile to her for assurance. "Nothing, just wondering who does that cute little dog belong to." Clary was unshockingly not convinced. Magnus tried to go for a humorous approach.

"Wait did you pay for ice creams I specifically told you were _my_ treat?" Magnus mockingly scolded. Clary already began to protest saying that she wanted to do something nice for Magnus for coming all the way her and carrying her suitcase for her. "I can't believe you took my distraction for your own benefit, you slippery orange blob," he dramatically admonished.

Clary fought back jokingly, constantly telling him that it was his fault his mind was somewhere else. The duo were peacefully walking down the park, after which was the frightening Institute. They passed by an old tattered shed, that was stinking very oddly if you asked Magnus and Clary.

Clary almost put her nose into her own ice cream to obstruct the smell. And Magnus was even more scandalized when he thought of it as a good idea and tried to do it himself.

"Ugh, who's in charge of that?" Clary asked with disgust, her nose scrunched up higher than ever before.

"I'm praying the Institute," Magnus snarked, silently agreeing with Clary's opinion as well. "What smell even _is_ that?"

"No idea," Clary said, licking a fat stripe off her ice cream. Her were in a thin line when she said "I feel like that's a familiar smell though."

"I kind of agree with you, it smells a lot like your hair when you fell down in that river we once went on a boat ride years ago," Magnus joked. He nipped a big chunk of his ice cream and licked his lips to chase off the remnants. He looked to his side again, only to see Clary wasn't next to him anymore.

He looked back to see her standing in the middle of the path with a faraway look in her eyes, almost she's trying to remember something. A few drips of her ice cream melted down her thin and delicate finger, staining one of her rings.

Magnus walked back cautiously to her, bending down to be at her eye level. "Clary? What's wrong?" Magnus asked, oddly mirroring Clary's mother-moment several minutes ago. She shook her head slightly in thought.

"I used to smell that _stink_ a lot whenever Sebastian used to..." she trailed off, lifting her head to look at Magnus' face.

Except, her eyes darted to the gruesomely scary figure standing behind him.

Before Magnus knew it, Clary's eyes were wide and her hands empty, as she had dropped the ice cream to the floor. Magnus was about to ask her what's wrong, when he noticed a slight change in the shadow lying next to them. Someone was standing behind him and was advancing on him.

He took Clary's reaction as a good guess and closed his eyes firmly, with slight wary of what's to come. "Am I finally going to have the pleasure of meeting you, Sebastian?" he drawled, trying to make sure that Sebastian does not notice his traces of worry.

A deep voice chuckled from behind and the shadow moved again. "I suppose the time is right, Magnus Bane," the deep voice spoke, sending shivers down both Magnus and Clary's spines. The British accent was certainly thick on the guy, and his voice sounded too knowing of what's about to come for Magnus' liking.

The darkness beside him moved with a impatience, the body language showing that the man standing behind Magnus was close to circling on them. "I think I have the most fortunate chance to see your handsome face, right?"

Magnus close his eyes once again, opening them after half a second to share a look of fear with Clary. He tried to communicate with her through his eyes; his eyes told her not do anything too careless. The chill was settling over his clothes like cool droplets of dew. Sudden, random and so very, very cold.

Magnus eyes darted around their surroundings, and was not surprised to see that it was only him and Clary who were the sole witnesses to Sebastian's appearance.

 _Damn the Clave_ , Magnus thought, feeling his own mind shake, _they didn't even know the psycho was living right under their noses_.

Magnus decided it was time to see the cruel man's face. He still held one of Clary's hands when he turned. Of course, the sight of Sebastian gave him more chills than just the sound and presence of him.

Sebastian was about his height, though  there was something about his demeanor that made him look like he was looking down at Magnus, giving one of his most intense and calculating stares. He was blonde and just downright good-looking. His appearance was a sign that if he wasn't so fucked up, he would've been one of those quaint, charismatic guys.

Sebastian's eyes had drifted to Clary , which made her hide more behind Magnus and nuzzle her nose to his back. She was breathing heavily and wildly. Her ice cold breath could be felt by Magnus through his layers of clothing.

When Sebastian decided that Clary was someone he saw before, his eyes swam fluidly to Magnus, making the King of the Downworld feel terribly exposed under the heat of the menacing eyes.

"I have to say, Magnus Bane, you have exceeded my expectations by a..." Sebastian extended, his eyes flickering towards Clary as if he was reminding her of an inside joke, "...hair."

Magnus gulped, feeling Clary slowly moving out of his safety to glare at Sebastian's vague reminder. He filed it for later, maybe to ask Clary what the heck that was about. "And I have to say, Sebastian, I had absolute no expectations for you and yet I'm still disappointed."

Sebastian didn't look insulted when his face broke into a maniacal smile, though the smile promised that he was going to give back the insult later. "Why would you, actually," Sebastian began, advancing on them slowly like a predator. "Maybe you just wanted to be surprised anyways."

Magnus blinked his eyes at the odd feeling of a warning laced behind the odd sentence. He held onto Clary's hand tighter.

"You have been hiding in that shed, haven't you?" Clary accused, clearly finding her voice at the most _fortunate_ moment. "You've been doing all those wacko experiments of yours in there, haven't you?" Magnus was surprised that Clary's hand didn't break from the amount of strength he's clutching her hand with. He just need here to _really_ , _really_ , _really_ shut up.

Sebastian cocked his had to side, a smile still lingering at the edge of his lips, "Well it's clear that my dear sister still remembers quite a few thing about me," he said with a slight croak. He didn't give a chance for Clary and Magnus to react when he sighed loudly and shook his head, almost mentally chastising himself. "Nonetheless, her memory is going to be fresher than ever now. I'm leaving behind...a memorabilia."

Before Magnus could voice his doubts about that statement, Sebastian began to move on, "Yes, I'm leaving you guys already. I just saw you pass by and thought that I might as well say hello." He grinned with pure malevolence. "But I have got to know you now, Magnus Bane. I'm afraid my short leave will not make you forget me... _easily_."

A guarantee.

A hidden meaning.

By the Lillith, this man is full of riddles and complications.

"I actually wanted to make the Clave feel a bit stupid at the same time," Sebastian admitted, walking closer and closer to Magnus. "That the real culprit they were looking for was so _close_ to them and their high noses couldn't even smell it out," the blonde man spoke with pride. He kept exchanging glances with Magnus and Clary in the eye, making them go past the shivering phase and reach the phase where they were completely frozen, as if a thin but sturdy layer of ice had coated them and stuck in one place.

"Well." Sebastian clapped his hands once in satisfaction. "It's a good thing that you both are so _close_ to the Clave, you can pass on this message for me," Sebastian beamed, his voice dropping an octave lower at the word ' _close_ '. He leaned into Magnus side, his venomous lips touching Magnus ear lobe freely.

"Congratulations on your engagement, _Your Highness_."

A blinding white light shone, travelling deep into Magnus' brain and numbing him into falling on the grainy, hard road.

~~  ~~  ~~

_"Is he going to be okay?"_

_"He will be- chill."_

_"He came out of nowhere!"_

_"God damn it, he can't leave me already, Izzy."_

_"He isn't going to, he'll be back Alec."_

_"It's all my fault."_

_"The only thing that kept me strong at the time was Magnus."_

_"Who even are you?"_

_"What do you mean who am I? I'm Clary-"_

Magnus' mind buzzed with the conversations that were being spoken above him. Although those were the ones that kept frequently playing in his head parallel with other thoughts.

Magnus' mind was being splattered and broken down into millions of pieces. He had no idea why his body was not waking up. He felt he could. He felt  his mind being awake and so should his mind for pete's sakes. He was almost put to a restless sleep. He couldn't sleep for the life of him, yet he couldn't wake up. He tried to move his limbs to put his energy into action, yet the blasted body parts were like tied to the bed he was laying on.

_"He took the brunt of the hit. "_

_"I am so sorry, Luke. I didn't know the amount we were risking by going like this-"_ Clary's tearful voice began ringing all around him.

" _It's alright, kiddo."_ Luke's kind assurance with a certain degree of a dismissal as well.

" _How long has it been since he's been like this?"_

 _"About two hours."_ Two hours? Magnus thought incredulously. He felt like he was sleeping away for days.

_"Where did even Sebastian get that type of power?"_

Magnus rolled his eyes...or at least tried to under his closed eyelids. Sebastian couldn't knock him out with that type of energy while being a shadowhunter. He must have hired a warlock to do his bidding. Magnus' quick analysis of Sebastian's appearance made him forget to cast a quick shield around him and Clary. He didn't think that Sebastian, a downworlder-hating scum, would actually make a warlock work for him.

Unless the warlock is someone who Magnus had done wrong to.

The Asian man's mind was too drowsy and afloat to think of who could possibly be the traitor. But he did keep the blinking possibility filed away in his head for a later discussion.

At the present, Magnus was more focused on how to _wake up_. He didn't like the sound of his friends' worrying over him, no doubt even trying to do the impossible in waking him up. It was Alec' sorrowful statement though, that made his heart constrict painfully. The last thing he wanted was the hazel-eyed man blaming himself for Magnus' careless mistake.

The melancholic poise was felt by Magnus deeply. He felt the calming nature of Isabelle wrapped around Alec, working very effectively, though not removing the complete sad weight on Alec's shoulders. 

It was odd how all of Magnus' senses were amplified by being tied to the bed, almost paralyzed. He sensitivity to all the types of auras surrounding him astounded him and creeped him out. Ragnor and Luke were by his side, most of the time. Clary was there for the beginning of the hour but may have been sent away because he felt her curls tangling themselves around his numb fingers and her tears flowing down the length of his right arm.

Alec wasn't there all the time, but he constantly came by for about fifteen minutes and then left for five minutes, almost he couldn't stand to see Magnus so unresponsive.  All this was felt by Magnus.

When the fifth hour struck (thanks to Ragnor's loud proclamation), Manus began to get more agitated and had started to concentrate all his working senses on waking up.  When he began to feel a sort of lightheadedness, and his eyes actually opening even for a split second, his motivation to wake up became never-dwindling.

He tried to move his fingers and was happy to see they began to omit the numbness. When his eyes had started to open for more than a fraction of the second, he saw his two faithful companions looming over him and urging him to open them completely.

The light of the dull room had begun to encompass his eyes. He felt his sight improving after blinking away the haze collected over them after being unconscious. He still felt the pin-prick feeling in his limbs, but feeling of them fading away offered him immense comfort.

"Magnus?" Luke's concerned voice replaced the white noise in Magnus head. He scowled at the sudden change, but not in anger.

"Would you laugh if I said 'No, I'm Michael Jackson'?" Magnus joked, his voice breaking through. God, he needed water.

The joked just resulted in Ragnor and Luke giving him matching disapproving looks.

"Michael Jackson wouldn't have disappointed me like this," Ragnor seethed. Magnus flinched at how the joke miserably backfired on him.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Luke roared, making Magnus' headache worse. He flinched again but motioned for both Luke and Ragnor to stop talking for one second. He slowly got up on his elbows to slide up on the uncomfortable bed. He was amazed by the sudden workings of his body from the five hours of sleep, but did not dwell on it.

"First off, I was doing all of that to surprise you," he croaked. The rough sound of his voice made Luke hurry and give him a glass of water. Magnus took it from him gratefully and gulped it all done, but his throat still felt uncomfortable.

"We _know_. Clary told us all that," Luke countered, impatient for a legitimate explanation. But Magnus didn't want to voice out any more reasons.

"Okay, I'm sorry," Magnus shuffled slightly more under Luke and Ragnor's scrutiny. "Oh come on, I've been through worse," he defended himself. But maybe the statement made Ragnor more angrier.

"Yes, you've been through _worse_. But you've been through it all with us," Ragnor growled in anger, pointing his index finger towards himself. "You've been through worse with _us_. You didn't even trust us to be with you after everything we've done together."

"Ragnor," Magnus cut him off, beginning with a warning. "You're taking a different meaning of this."

Luke paced to the other corner of the room with frustration. "You've been through worse. Yet you couldn't even realize the danger you had put yourself in by doing this!" He yelled suddenly. Magnus shut his mouth in silence.

"The only good thing you did by doing all of that was finding Sebastian's whereabouts." Ragnor leaned in further towards Magnus to make him meet his eyes. "But you almost lost your own _reckless_ life in the process."

 "You frightened all of us as well-" Luke yelled once again, only to be cut off by the three solid knocks placed on the door. The doorknob turned to open and reveal Alexander standing in the room in confusion. When his eyes landed on Magnus, anger and disappointment flooded in them.

"Luke, Ragnor," he began coolly, "My mother wants to see you." He then added hurriedly when he saw Ragnor and Luke about to collectively object "I'll be here with Magnus. I need to talk to him as well."

Luke and Ragnor exchanged dubious looks but grumbled about not having to yell at Magnus with full potential. Nonetheless, they left the room obediently, leaving the room in the dust of tension and unpredictability. Magnus was even tempted to slip under his covers and hide from Alec's intense stare.

For the first thirty seconds, Alec stood near the door with a scowl on his face. His eyes were fixated on Magnus with the clear glare of over thinking in them. Magnus stared back, but he doubted his eyes held the same amount of emotions in them.

Finally, Alec walked away from the door and sat himself by the foot of the bed. Magnus shifted slightly, to give his fiancé the space for his comfort. He felt Alec's body heat through the covers and wondered how could someone be so warm and cold at the same time. Or maybe it was Magnus' hormones that were messing up.

Before Alec could lapse them into an another awkward silence, Magnus blurted out "Tell me what you're thinking. Please."

Alec searched between Magnus' eyes for something, though the warlock did not know what it was. He unconsciously frowned, wondering if there was something on his face. Alec broke from his stance and started to speak, too lowly for Magnus' heart.

"I was thinking of how crazy you are."

Magnus managed to not his slumped reaction to that, but his heart did get overridden with guilt. "I heard you while I was asleep," Magnus stated, trying to steer the conversation somewhere else. Alec looked a bit confused which made Magnus sigh out loud. "Alexander, this was not your fault."

"It was," Alec said harshly. "I knew that you were going to do this thing. And I also knew that you were going to be reckless about it. And I-" Alec suddenly got up from his place and struggled with his words. "And I had a feeling that I should've offered to go along with you. But then I thought, that a guy like you love his space, and then I didn't-"

Alec kicked the chaise near Magnus' bed in frustration, creating a loud sound, but still not making Magnus flinch. He huffed for a while before catching his breath. "I didn't even offer you. Hell, I shouldn't even offer, I should've just... _gone_ with you."

Magnus started to feel overwhelmed under Alec's grievance. He got up from the bed to comfort Alec only for the shadowhunter to rush to him and push him back onto his bed. "No," Alec said when Magnus struggled under his grip. "You need to rest."

"Alexander," Magnus tried to explain from his place among the rustled blankets. "The last thing we need to talk about what the hell I was thinking and what's my state right now, we should be worried about how Sebastian did _this_. Clearly he has hired some warlock to do his bidding, but we also need to know what was the effect of it-"

"Afterwards," Alec growled. Now, Magnus' temper had begun to rise up.

"It can't be just done _afterwards_ , Alec," Magnus snapped. "If Sebastian decides that this is how he's going to attack all of us, then it's necessary for me to learn the mechanics of that spell and how to override it." He took in a deep breath. "I need to know how he managed to knock out someone like _me_. Clary told me he loves to experiment and maybe he has done one on a fellow warlock that I should be knowing about-"

"If you had died, we wouldn't have been even able to discuss all of that!" Alec spoke loudly. His voice was still low for it to be considered as a yell.

"We can't dwell on _woulds_ and _would-nots_ , Alec," Magnus said exasperatedly. Why was the boy so concerned about him. "As a leader, I cannot help but think directly and for the future of my people-"

"Don't you even look at your past mistakes and think that maybe, just maybe, you should learn something from it?" Alec put in, his voice now reverted to yelling. Magnus even felt the air rushed out of his mouth at the reprimand. They were facing each other with no proximity between them, but a barrier present there instead.

"Why are you so upset with me?" Magnus shouted, his heart betrayed with the fact that Alec was not with him on the same page as before.

"Because you almost made me a widower, and upset your family very much!"

"We aren't even married yet!"

"We are going to," Alec screamed, silencing Magnus further defensive words. Alec took in a deep breath before trying to speak again. "We're going to marry each other," he whispered, almost he's now loudly realizing the fact within himself. "But-" he stopped himself and turned away.

Magnus cocked his head to the side to study Alec's body language. "But what?" he asked, irritated.

Alec turned back slowly, his eyes gleaming with unshed angry tears. "I thought we would mesh well with each other. I thought we could understand and predict each other. That's why I had no objection with this arranged marriage."

Alec turned away again; Magnus wished he could do the same so that he doesn't have to see the back of the upset soul. "I thought I would be able to know when you would need me and when you wouldn't. And that you would at least approach me to ask me to come along with you."

Alec still hasn't turned back. "I thought that was how a solid partnership would _work_. But now, I'm having my doubts."

"What do you mean you're having doubts? I was just bruised, that's all Alexander. Stop-" Magnus began with an incredulous feeling but Alec's sorrowful eyes stopped him.

"Why didn't you tell me that you weren't taking your bodyguards?" Alec demanded. Magnus gulped and shook his head.

"I thought I would be fine on my own. I thought that Sebastian won't do this cowardly thing and face me alone. And I thought that if he did, I could probably handle him," Magnus defended his actions, although now, he was beginning to feel a bit stupid as well.

Alec walked to the door of the room, his eyes not losing its consistency. "I really can't talk right now. But I have a question. Did you do this because you were angry that the Clave brought the marriage from two months to two days?"

Magnus closed his mouth in horror. How did Alec know? He remembered in the morning seeing Maryse Lightwood's face first thing and her thin lips moving and informing him of the new date. Magnus had felt so mad he almost bursted. He remembered sneaking away from his bodyguards because he really didn't want to be followed and he needed his space.

Magnus gulped. "Alec, like I said, the marriage being brought ahead  does not affect me in any way-"

Alec shook his head again. "Like I said, I don't want to talk right now."

Magnus got angry, his eyes began to harden. "But you just said that you had a question."

Alec looked into Magnus' eyes with disdain and animosity. "I said I had a question. I didn't say that I wanted an answer."

With that, Alec left the room with the door slamming behind him. Magnus sat on the bed and just stared after him, offended and gaping.

_Did they just have their first real fight?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, I still do not know how to link my tumblr here. But my blog's name is justpresent, so If any of you guys want to talk, you can contact me there ;)  
> I'm still deciding whether or not to get a twitter hahahaha  
> My fav scene in this chapter was the one with Magnus and Clary, I had to stop myself from 'aww'-ing a little too loudly, XD.  
> Next chapter- a bachelor party, and of course, the wedding tehe.   
> So see you guys in the next xhapter   
> Comments and kudos are very appreciated.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!!!1 I'M SOSORRY BECAUSE I SAID THAT THIS CHAPTER WILL CONTAIN THE WEDDING BUT WELL THAT'S DIDN'T HAPPEN CLEARLY!  
> BUT I PROMISE NEXT ALRIGHT?  
> The reason I'm posting this is because after this i'll be going to a vacation so it'll be hard for me to be in the groove of writing a long, and intense chapter.  
> ALSO I MADE A TWITTER!!!!  
> I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN LINK IT WELL YET BUT LET ME TRY  
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/annplanet8)  
> If that can't be seen well my twitter is -@annplanet8 XD  
> Also I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Marie aka @parabanetai on twitter and banethorn on youtube. She's extremely talented in making videos and you guys should check her out! She's the first friend I made on twitter.  
> Here's her twitter account (God I hope I'm doing this right)- [Twitter](https://twitter.com/parabanetai)  
> Anyways, on with the chapter!

The two days before the wedding was absolute _hell_ for Magnus.

First, he had to call his family and friends and tell them to come earlier than he asked them to. Catarina was surprised and constantly texted him in the duration, asking if everything was alright. He just replied saying that he would tell her once she arrives on the wedding day.

Raphael on the other hand had just sighed and complained about packing earlier than he had planned. Magnus had rolled his eyes in response and cut the call without a 'bye'. Raphael 'Your Majesty' Santiago everyone.

The wedding preparations picked up a tempo. Magnus was escorted from early hours of the morning to overlook the preparations. And as it had happened before, Alec was ignoring him. And Magnus honest to God, doesn't blame him.

In the two days of hectic meetings, decisions and drama, Magnus had found time somehow to reflect on everything that was exchanged between him and Alec. He was at first, angry at Alec for giving him the cold shoulder (And seriously? Right before their _wedding_?) but his emotions gradually dropped to guilt. He had realized that what he had done not only endangered him, but also Clary.

Once he had begun to feel better, he talked to Clary to make sure if she was okay. He knew for so long that he could recognize the fake smile she had given him. When he had called out for it, her smile disappeared and her lips tremble with emotion. Two hours were spent in Clary's guest room with Magnus holding the shaking redhead with comfort. He had tried his very best to absorb the awakened sad memories from her little body through his arms and chest, which contained his breaking heart.

Ragnor and Luke had also begun their hawk-eyes operation. They refused to let Magnus out of their sight and when he had asked them to explore New York, WITH THEM, they had flat out refused. Magnus tried his best not to sulk and rather accepted the punishment and the situation's criteria.

The only good thing that happened to him in the two days was that he had another family member with him for company, and Jace and Izzy had also stopped being strangers to him. But he rarely saw Clary with the wedding action and Jace and Izzy were most of the time, no doubt, comforting Alec.

So yeah, Magnus was feeling like a child out of place.

It was the day before the wedding, and Magnus was in his room, doing yoga. He had attended a long and tiring meeting with the Clave and a wedding rehearsal, he was feeling the need to unwind with stretching. So he had forgone his shirt and wore his signature tight yoga pants to start his routine.

Only five minutes had passed when his door knocked upon. Magnus rolled his eyes in annoyance and got down from his complicated leg-up pose. His mind wasn't functioning well as he was about to open the door shirtless. Realizing where he was, he skipped back to his bed where a loose silk shirt was laid. He quickly put it on himself before opening the door.

It was Jace standing behind the door. Despite his signature cocky look persisting on his face, there was a deep sort of sadness in his eyes. Few strands were flopping on his forehead, completing his wary, tired and melancholic look. He licked his lips once before opening his mouth to speak.

"We're having a bachelor party, you coming?" Jace asked, indicating towards the end of the hall which would indeed take the two men to the party. But Magnus felt that it was a sort of a pity party that was being held.

Magnus bit his lip in thought. He wouldn't mind a few drinks, but he was wondering what the company would be like. Jace definitely didn't look like someone he could joke around with at the moment. He wondered whether Ragnor or Luke was invited.

"Will Ragnor and Luke be there?" Magnus voiced his question soullessly. Jace cast his eyes down before bringing them back up to Magnus' face, but they still didn't meet the King's eyes.

"Uh, no," Jace answered. He looked _really_ out of it. Magnus questioned whether he had started drinking before him and this was him just being an emotional drunk. To be honest, by the end of the night Magnus had intended to be a drunk as well.

"In fact," Jace voice brought him out of the silence. "I'm going to crash as well, but I was with Alec in his bachelor party and it was uneventful so I kind of left him. But now I feel bad because he's all alone and not being able to sleep. So I was thinking about you giving him company." Jace sounded really dead. But he was at least talking to Magnus and there definitely was a tone of friendliness in his voice.

Magnus questioned mentally whether the bachelor party was really _that_ uneventful. The two parabatais probably did speak of something and nothing. But it was also none of Magnus' business to confront Jace about this white lie.

Also, Magnus could see Jace's true motive here. He wanted the two engaged men to talk to each other to remove the radio silence right before the wedding.

Magnus wanted to speak to Alec. _Badly_. He has been trying with futility for the past hours. The man was quite adamant to ignore the King's well wished conversation. He didn't desire to carry on with the wedding with the ignoring game. They are two mature adults who should communicate with each other about what they're thinking like they did with the engagement.

Jace was still waiting for an answer. But Magnus felt that the blond man had fallen asleep right in front of him with eyes open. When he spoke, the shadowhunter snapped back with force and stood straighter.

"Sure."

Magnus closed the door and began walking ahead of Jace, not bothering that he isn't in his usual intimidating clothes. Jace walked by him in zombie fashion and Magnus wondered how long has it been since he slept.

Magnus decided to bait a conversation out of him. "So tomorrow, huh? Are you going to be Alec's best man?" Magnus asked politely. Jace continued to look down (how the hell did he know where he was going?) and just gave a grunt in reply.

"Yup."

Well.

That's that.

Magnus really doubted he could get anything else out of the blonde boy. So he kept walking in awkward silence. It felt peculiar to him that just few days ago, it was Jace who was eager to talk to him. And now the eagerness has been eradicated with the lowest energy Magnus had ever felt from him ever since he arrived here.

He never thought much about Jace. There was nothing to think about, honestly. Would have  Magnus and him been good friends if Magnus hadn't threatened to take away his other half of a soul? Of course. But obviously from the way Jace has been giving him the one-word only treatment the last few days, Magnus really couldn't see himself having pillow fights with the shadowhunter at a slumber party in the near future.

When they reached a staircase that led somewhere downstairs, Jace stepped aside to let the glittery man go down first. Magnus shot an uncertain look at the stairs before sending the same look to Jace.

Jace shrugged, not wanting to speak. Magnus resisted to roll his eyes before beginning his descent down the stairs. There were soft tunes of bass playing, very faint and light. Magnus found it harder to imagine that there was a bachelor party down there.

The door spiraled down the a very modern chic room. It wasn't too big but not too small. A bar was on one side and extended from one corner to another, making it the longest bar Magnus had ever seen. Huh. Who would've know that a place like this existed underneath the Institute.

There were low blue lights everywhere, and a sofa  which Alec Lightwood was currently sitting on. Magnus realized that there was no door to the room and he quite literally, barged in. In fact, Alec was looking at him in surprise, his eyebrows high up and his hazel eyes wide. When Magnus finished looking around, and looked straight at Alec, the younger man turned away with a face of stone.

Magnus looked behind, expecting Jace to tell Alec that he invited Magnus over, only to see that the little shit had disappeared. Probably didn't even come down the stairs like Magnus had.

Magnus stuffed his hands into his pockets in annoyance. Great, this is going to be awkward. "Jace told me you were alone here and asked if I could accompany you for a few drinks," Magnus said, looking down on the ground, but from the corner of his eyes, he could see Alec still ignoring him.

Magnus took a good look of Alec to see if he's drinking anything, only to fine that the man was just drinking  a plain gin and tonic. He walked towards his seated frame. "And who am I, to pass an opportunity to drink," Magnus joked, easing the tension. He was pleased to see a slight movement in the corner of Alec's mouth.

He gently seated himself on the sofa, keeping a good amount of distance between him and Alec. Alec, in turn, sat up straight and kept staring at the blue-lit walls.

For the new quiet seconds, the two men were basked in soft tunes. Magnus was grateful, for he really didn't want to hear the pounding loud music. And maybe, even Alec preferred it that way.

Magnus studied Alec's side profile. His heart fluttered every time he noticed a thing or two about the shadowhunter. For example, Alec had the most gorgeous, long eyelashes he had ever seen. His cheekbones were aptly  placed that every time he blinked, the eyelashes brushed against it. Magnus swore he could hear the sound of it touching his skin.

The next thing Magnus' eyes went to, were Alec's lips. His lips were in a natural pout that could even be seen sideways. Magnus had to lick his own lips and look away to keep his chest calmed down. No one talked. Magnus was hoping that Alec might start something. But he didn't.

Magnus sighed and got up from his place on the couch and went ahead to the bar. Instead of looking for a way to enter, the King just simply rested a hand upon the counter and pushed himself to jump over it. Anyone looking would have the full freedom to feel jealous of how graceful the movement looked. Magnus knew it himself.

He inspected the labels of all the drinks displayed there, wondering which one the take. He thought of making himself a martini and began to look for the necessary items. He began to inspect the labels of the all the vodka drinks kept there. When he found the brand he was favorable towards, he tapped his chin with his index finger twice and hummed in approval.

Magnus extended his hand to the glass bottle, awaiting the burn of alcohol so bad. When he cradled in his hand, he found it too be surprisingly light. He lifted up the bottle to see through it in a better light. Unfortunately, the bottle was opaquely colored. Magnus opened the bottle and smelled the alcohol. The intoxicating scent was horrifyingly not present. He lifted the bottle to his mouth to take a sip and tipped it.

_What the absolute hell?_

He tipped it even further but no drop of the drink poured down the throat. Magnus brought it away from his mouth and glared at in confusion. His bewilderment masked the sound of concealed laughter occurring behind him. 

"We ran out of that," An amused voice rasped from behind. Magnus whipped his head to see Alec staring at him with now bright eyes and a show of laughter on his face. Magnus was surprised that he had missed the transition from his sullen mood to _this shit-eating grin on his face_.

"What do you mean _you ran out_?" Magnus sneered. He decided to take advantage of the amused mood in air. "Who the hell runs out of alcohol?"

Alec snorted. He got up from his seat and walked to the counter, leaning against it with his hands rested upon it. "We actually had a wedding here a month ago for a high dignitary. And we may have forgotten to stock up the refreshments."

Magnus frowned. "Why did the man come high to his own wedding?"

Alec snorted once again and began to laugh out loud. His eyes crinkled in the corners and his mouth was stretched to a wide smile with his perfect teeth showing. The laughter that emerged from him sounded so _beautiful_ , that Magnus had to stand there stunned at the sight. It sounded like Alec had never truly laughed in his life.

After Magnus got out of his enchantment, his frown resumed. "Why are you laugh-Oh God, that was not what you meant?" Magnus asked, horrified. How could've he been so slow?

Alec shook his head, still laughing. "No, absolutely not," He spluttered between his chuckles. Magnus decided that he liked this side of Alec. The one who is free to laugh whenever he wants. And Magnus felt honored to see this side especially when just few moments ago the shadowhunter was furiously ignoring him in anger.

Magnus offered him a smile in return and let him bask in the lightness of the atmosphere. He decided to make it lighter. "Hey," Magnus called out, garnering Alec's attention. The boy looked at him with an amused expression. "How do you address a royal person on drugs?"

Alec looked bemused.

Magnus paused for a dramatic effect. And then dramatically stage-whispered, "Your Highness."

Sadly, it didn't bring a haughty laugh from Alec. Instead two hazel eyes looked at him with a 'seriously?' look.

Magnus huffed. "So you basically laugh at my plights and not my jokes. Is there a way for me to get out of this marriage now?" Alec looked even more unimpressed.

He shrugged. "You can try. But my word of advice, in order for you to be remembered, do it as dramatic as you can. And do it at the ceremony itself." Magnus was pleased that he was marrying this man with equal flair for dramatics as him.

He was also grateful Alec didn't take his joke in the wrong way. It was now clear that Alec has accepted that _this_ was happening and he has to look to the future now.  Wish Magnus could say the same for himself.

"How do you think I should do it?" Magnus asked, playing along and leaning against the bar to be closer to Alec. He hadn't noticed that the younger man had come closer and now standing on the other side of the bar. "Should I say it when the ordained minister-"

"Silent brother," Alec coughed out. Magnus glared at the man for his interruption.

"-silent brother is saying his rites? Or should I get off the dais and profess my love for another one of the members?"

Alec chuckled. "If you do the confession thing, could you say it to my mom? I would love to see the look on her face."

Magnus pretended to think for a moment. "I would love to see it too. But darling, my face would be the one harmed because she would slap  me if I ever did that."

Alec hummed, "True."

A pleasant pause followed, one that calmed the sudden high energy from earlier. The burst of happiness felt by both the men may have been caused by the restricting tension from the past few days. They really couldn't stay mad at each other for so long. Magnus wondered if it meant something else as well but dismissed the thought quickly.

 "So, why was Jace unwilling to offer you any company?" Magnus asked once the humor had quietened.

Alec looked confused,  "What do you mean?" Alec asked. Magnus shifted nervously, not knowing how to ask the following question in an appropriate manner.

"I mean." Magnus cleared his throat. "He called me to give you company here. Last time I checked, this was supposed to be a bachelor party, not a grooms' party."

Alec fiddled with his fingers and looked to the side. Magnus noted that his fiancé had too noticed Jace's withdrawn behavior and did not like it either. "We're parabatai. I think, this is just my theory, that maybe Jace is acting this way to prepare himself for the long distance experience we're going to go through."

Again with the term 'parabatai'. Magnus gathered the meaning of the platonic soul binding thing but not the extent of its significance. Thankfully, Alec saw his confused expression and took pity on him.

He took a deep breath. "Jace and I... we're connected through a rune. Soul-wise. Whatever he feels, I feel it." Alec looked away and became dazed, "... And whatever I feel, he feels it. We're like two soul-bonded warriors on the battlefield. Emotionally and physically, we're connected."

Magnus' eyebrows went up high into his hairline. His wide eyes took in Alec's thoughtful face. "Wow, you're _that_ close?" Alec nodded briefly. "Well, this living arrangement is going to... affect you both, isn't it?"

Alec looked back at him with a now accepted expression on his face. "It would. But I think we both should be fine as long as neither of us does anything reckless. Or moreover, Jace doesn't do anything reckless," Alec said wryly.

Magnus chuckled. "I was waiting for you to make that correction." Alec gave him an unconscious smile in return.

"He was a little star-struck by your redhead friend," Alec stated. "I was glad that she offered a bit of a distraction to  him for the last two days." Alec shook his head fondly. "Enough for him to be knocked on his ass when we were sparring."

Magnus shook his head too. "I need to ask Clary what she feels about him."

"Uh, I think we've kind of figured it out," Alec said, his left eye scrunching and molars gritting as if he was looking how to say to say the following words. "She mostly hung out with Lydia and Isabelle. But Jace went to ask her out on a coffee date yesterday but she held up a finger as if saying 'one second' and tried to pretend to talk on the phone." Alec swallowed in his laugh. "What she didn't realize was that both Jace and I saw that her phone was glowing with the regular background."

Magnus rolled his eyes at Clary's save. "I didn't teach her well, clearly."

Alec raised a eyebrow. "You had to do the same to people as well?"

Magnus shrugged carelessly. "Yeah, I mean, not to brag but I'm pretty desirable-"

Alec's fake cough penetrated the point, "Still bragging."

Magnus glared at him and continued. "I _am_ pretty desirable, and most the time when I'm attending these events, parties, ballroom occasions and diplomatic meetings, I do get asked out a lot."

Alec tapped on the counter once or twice, hesitating to bring up a certain question. "But have you ever been on a date before?"

Magnus paused all his casual movements. He couldn't believe that this topic came up right here in an underground room in the Institute, with a shadowhunter that was engaged to him. And they were still talking to each other across a counter.

Magnus took in a deep breath. His past relationships have not been the most bright parts of his history. Sure, his life with Etta was bearable, but the break-up was nothing short of intense pained feelings. The memory of Imasu still made him cringe and pierce his nails into the skin of his hands. Camille, was the worst of all...

Camille almost broke him spiritually. The aftermath and the onset of the relationship took a huge toll on him. He couldn't help but also think it took a part of him as well. Magnus wondered whether he should reveal to Alec about his life with her or let more time pass for Alec gain his trust and then reveal it to him.

In fact, why was he being worried by the simple question? He had gone to plenty of other dates which didn't work out but no emotions were attached to it either. Alec didn't ask him for every single one of them.

 So why does the question _pain_ him?

The answer was simple: Magnus had lost hope in a relationship after the entire ordeal with Camille. He had no hope of being married nor being with someone for as long as forever. He was too busy to actually look for love. So he gave up on it. Like the other things he had given up in his lifetime...

Magnus berated himself for zoning out and thinking of all these bland thoughts. He shook his head and grounded him mind to the current circumstance. Alec was looking at him expectantly with hints of worry in his light eyes.

Magnus hoped that his pause wasn't too long. "Yes," Magnus finally answered. The simple one word answer that didn't reveal too much neither being the cause of deceit to Alec.

Alec took his curt answer as a sign of not prying into any further. He allowed Magnus to lapse the conversation to his own pace.

The next seconds went by fast and free. Magnus took in a deep breath and picked up a bottle of whiskey instead. Pouring into a glass, he looked at Alec and raised an eyebrow, silently offering. Alec reluctantly nodded and Magnus reached out for another glass.

Magnus realized that conversing with Alec from the inside of a bar was not appropriate for comfort. He was about to jump over the counter once more when Alec made an urgent halting gesture for him to stop. He walked to the corner and opened the small door for entry and exit.

Magnus blushed slightly before walking silently with the two glasses, pointedly ignoring Alec's amused expression. When he reached the door, Alec made a exaggerated gesture of courtesy, as letting off Magnus from a carriage.

Magnus rolled his eyes while Alec chuckled and blushed. "The worst part of _that_ was you didn't even do it properly." Alec snorted.

Magnus gracefully strutted to the couch, feeling Alec's eyes on him. When he turned around, the shadowhunter looked away, not too quickly for Magnus to not catch his stare. He sat down on the couch and cocked his head towards the empty seat.

"Come on," Magnus urged from far. "Let's drown the forecast of tomorrow's weather with this-" Magnus lifted one drink high and glanced at it before looking back at Alec," -with this wonderful poison."

Alec stood still, the look of contemplation clear on his face. However, soon enough, the taller man began to walk to sit beside the warlock. He picked the glass of whiskey from Magnus' offered hand and lifted it to toast.

"What do we toast to?" Alec asked, inspecting the liquid. "To the alliance?"

Magnus shook his head and smiled. "To us," Magnus said, lifting his glass to touch it to Alec's.

Alec reciprocated the toast with a gesture of his own and mumbled a "To us" as well before taking a gulp of the acidic-hot liquid.

Magnus observed the adorable way Alec scrunched up his eyes at the taste. The boy clearly was not an alcohol person. "If you want, I can conjure up something of your tastes," Magnus offered.

Alec shook his head and looked at Magnus with determination. _Oh_ , Magnus wryly thought, hiding his smile behind the glass, _he's not a quitter_...

Alec took another sip and attempted to control his expression. He succeeded...mostly.

Magnus sighed at Alec's denial. This boy would be hard to have an argument with one day. He prayed for Raphael and Alec to not disagree on many things with each other, otherwise, Magnus was going to be walking around with a cracked head. Raphael had a way of holding on an argument. He would offer the typical old silent treatment, and then suddenly, without any warning, would provide biting jabs and remarks that always caught the other person off guard.

The thought of Alec and Raphael meeting each other made Magnus' thoughts wander even further. He speculated on the type of relationship Alec would have with his family. He was already well off with Ragnor and Luke. Alec seemed to be mostly amused and indifferent at the same time about Clary. He would probably be a bit abhorred with Simon but would probably grow to tolerate him with time. Raphael would make any situation or conversation awkward for Alec. Jocelyn and Catarina would definitely get along very well with him.

"I need you to meet my family tomorrow," Magnus stated out loud. He looked at Alec who was looking straight ahead of him, but a small smile played in the corner of his lips in entertainment.

"Shouldn't that be happening before we get married?" he teased. Magnus rolled his eyes at the playfulness.

"Well, you already  met three of them. Ragnor, Luke and Clary." Magnus began to smirk. "Any more family members of yours that I have to meet?" he teased back. Alec shifted, pausing his movement to bring the glass to his lips for another sip. He wasn't unsettled by the question but rather thought-provoked by it.

"Yeah, I just realized you haven't met my father and my little brother." Magnus' eyes widened. How could he have forgotten? He remembered someone telling him of the little Lightwood but he had unconsciously thought that Alec's father was not present in his life anymore.

Alec took in Magnus' open-mouthed expression and gave an apologetic smile. "You thought you were the only one with surprises?" he joked, his voice seemed to becoming deeper and deeper. Maybe it's the drink, Magnus distractedly thought. "They went off the Idris for some few days. But they'll be coming tomorrow," Alec guaranteed.

"Any pointers?" Magnus shifted slightly to be closer to Alec. The shadowhunter didn't seem to mind and moved a bit in as well.

"My dad is not very involved in my life and is pretty much minding his own business. But Max would be absolutely delighted to see you." Alec pursed his lips in thought and then looked back at Magnus with clear eyes. "You remember how Jace was when he saw you right?"

Magnus thought of the first time he saw the blonde shadowhunter. Standing up straight with his back lined against the ancient walls of the Institute. "Uptight, tensed, and a an iron pole up his ass?" Magnus recalled Jace's posture and demeanor.

Alec gave a light laugh at the description. "No. When we went to your room and had a talk with all of you?"

The intense hazel eyes made that evening hard to forget for Magnus. "Oh yeah. He was one excited puppy that day," Magnus recalled, correctly.

Alec nodded. "Max is more invasive and energetic. I hope you have all the answers he needs," Alec spoke, letting the end joke go through his pink lips freely. Magnus decided he liked this relaxed and uncaring Alec.

"You shadowhunters seemed to be a little too unaware of us," Magnus observed. Alec went silent for a few seconds, making Magnus worry that he a bit harsh in those words. Before he could correct himself, Alec saved him.

"We never met any of your kind, to be honest. Most of us are forbidden to  even talk to a downworlder," Alec explained. "Though, your kind is pretty much mentioned all over our books. I think my siblings know more about the downworlders' history than our own."

"Well that's because our history is more interesting than yours," Magnus bantered. He smiled when Alec gave his hundred watt smile with his teeth. Magnus noticed the formation of adorable crinkles around his eyes.

Magnus licked his lips once and began to circle the edges of his glass with his fingers in a circular motion. "Did you learn about me?" Magnus asked, purposefully making his voice sound a tad seductive and teasing. The flashback of his first proper meeting with Alec in his room days ago appeared in his mind where he had done the same.

Alec chortled at the question as if the most incredulous once asked of him. "Of course," Alec said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Valentine death by your hands was the one lesson that was often repeated in our classes."

Magnus' smile slipped away at the words 'Valentine's death'. The memory of the man on his knees before him, after killing his father and devastating the entire downworld nation banged against the walls of head, condemning him to remember it vividly. The sounds of Valentine's gasps and chokes filled into Magnus' ears as if it was happening right next to him in that moment.

Magnus straightened himself to remove any sign of his overwhelming moment before Alec could notice it. He should not be exposing himself like this. He scolded himself for thinking of that memory when it had happened so many years ago. He can't show to a shadowhunter, no matter if he is his fiancé, that he was affected by that deeply.

Magnus cleared his throat to remove a knot accumulated there. "Am I exactly as how they described me in your history books?" Magnus brought out, to keep the air of ease going. He will his heart to calm down. However, what happened next _did not_ help with that.

Alec tucked in his left leg underneath him to get more comfortable and leaned in very close to Magnus' face as if scrutinizing him.

Magnus eyes widened even more and his heart began to beat even more faster, but for a different reason now. His hands tightened around his glass, which he holding very loosely just a few moments ago. He even felt the formation of cracks on it against his skin.             He wanted to lean back but it was hard to when he was captured by the sincerity and intensity in Alec's eyes.

Alec's lips were slightly left loose open from their usual stern line. His eyes were encased with the most longest eyelashes that Magnus has ever seen. He felt the warm breath from Alec on his own lips, unconsciously parting them as well as a response. The rest of Magnus' face went cold in surprise while his lips, the tip of his nose and chin were being warmed by Alec's breath.

Magnus used all his strength to look at the drink in Alec's hand. He mentally frowned when he saw that the glass had been deposited on the coffee table, completely empty. Clearly, Alec had gulped down the entire drink without even tasting it.

But it was Magnus' turn to gulp in anticipation. He waited for Alec to move away, not because he was uncomfortable, but because he feeling a little overpowered by the little circle of green in the man's eyes. Magnus felt his lips turn dry.

Alec kept staring at Magnus. "They didn't get your nose right."

Now, that brought Magnus completely out of his enchantment.

He frowned at the declaration. "What?" He whispered stupidly.

Alec's unfocused eyes looked at him as if he grew two heads. He seemed to realize how close he was to Magnus because he began to lean away. The cold air replaced the warmth that Magnus was thoroughly enjoying.

"The history book," Alec elaborated, clearing his throat. "You were asking if they described you well. They made your nose bigger in the sketch."

Magnus grimaced at the information. "What, do shadowhunters not put actual photographs of the living people in your history books?" He was quite seriously offended that they didn't get his nose right. He wondered whether this history book belonged to Alec still and if he could ask for it later.

Alec looked at him wryly. And that oddly enough did a _lot_ of things to Magnus' body. "You really think they would go asking all the downworlders for a photograph to put in the history books?" Magnus scowled.

"Why am I even in a history book? I'm not dead," Magnus complained.

"Well, you were actually only mentioned when they spoke about the history of Valentine Morgenstern," Alec said, looking slightly apologetic. Magnus scowled at him.

"I thought you said that shadowhunters know more about the downworlders than their own history. How can people know about me if I'm only just 'mentioned'?" Magnus retorted. He was not offended per say, more annoyed actually.

Alec eyes drifted away as if deep in thought. He was doing that awfully a lot tonight. Magnus wondered whether he had drunk with Jace before and that he shouldn't have given the strong whiskey to him. Now that was done. Magnus only prayed that Alec didn't blame him for the terrible hangover that will follow.

"Alec?" Magnus called out. No response.

Magnus reached out his hand and rested it upon Alec's shoulder. And shook it. The feeling of the hard muscle under Alec's hand made his eye drift there to follow the movement, though nothing compared to _feeling_ the movement of those muscles.

Alec, this time responded, looking at the hand placed on his shoulder and then Magnus' face, resting his eyes there for a few seconds. "Sorry about that," he apologized. "I was just thinking-" he cut himself off with a dejected quiet sigh.

Magnus didn't move his hand from the shoulder. Not because of his choice but more because he wasn't aware he was still holding it. "What were you thinking?" He asked, partly because of his curiosity and part because he was concerned.

Alec shook his head and fiddled with his finger, keeping his eyes down there as well. "I just realized that the downworlders have been involved with our history for so long but we're so separated from them. " He looked up the wall, his jaw clenching. Magnus could sense there is something else bothering him. Before he could ask what it was, Alec began to speak again.

"Do you think that I-" Alec cut himself off again, looking back down to his fingers and fidlled with them more. "Do you think that I would be accepted among the downworlders? After all I'm marrying-" his voice cracked "-their leader.  What if your people don't like me nor trust me?" Alec looked at Magnus with helplessness. "What then?"

Magnus bit his lower lip in thought. He had never thought of this. This being Alec's insecurity about the downworlders. But why _wouldn't_ he feel insecure? He was just been told a few days ago that he has to marry the King of the Donworlders and live in a place among them. Magnus knew that his position came with a lot of exposure and representation. And Alec was not a downworlder. He was part of a race that condemned and stayed away from the downworlders. Would the people receive Alec well in to their lands? Would they try to be open-minded and give him a chance to be a perfect husband and fellow-King?

Magnus brought his free hand and the one that was clutching Alec's shoulder to the nervous fingers of the shadowhunter. He held them as tenderly as possible and massaged them, feeling the roughness and calluses of the  warrior's hands.

"Look, Alec. My  people already know of your...partnership with me. Unlike the shadowhunters, we are loud and friendly," Magnus joked to lighten the air. It worked because a glimpse of a smile appeared on Alec's face, but then got replaced by the worried look again. "They've been given more time than your kind has given you to accept this. Well, fairly longer time," he added the last part, remembering that his people only knew it for a week more than Alec did.

"But they also know that this is the high-time. They trust their leaders and me. Yes, there will be some who would disagree with this entire ordeal, but there was a reason you were chosen for this, Alec. I'm pretty sure you will change their point of view very soon," Magnus tried to assure. Alec still looked a bit unconvinced.

"Stop worrying, Alexander," Magnus admonished. He was surprised to see that Alec immediately relaxed at the sound of his full name. Magnus mentally filed that away for later.  "People need to learn to deal with opinions and actions that aren't harmful. I'm pretty sure you're bringing nothing but  ease into my kingdom. Yes, a downworlder King marrying a shadowhunter may seem unorthodox, but hey, we downworlders' never had much faith in customs and traditions in the first place."

Alec was still mentally battling himself but he seemed to have finally seen the reality and truth of the situation. He  looked down before looking up at Magnus with gratefulness and a persisting smile.

"Thank you."

And oh, how happy and grateful those words sounded to Magnus' ears. He was never not surprised by the amount of goodwill Alec had in his words. They were limited but went beyond the limit of tugging at Magnus' heartstrings.

He let a beat pass with a returning smile given to Alec before changing the topic to something else. "So, anything to brief me about tomorrow's ceremony?"

Alec pouted his lips in thought and looked at Magnus with mischief, his somber mood already exiting from his body. "How does your suit look?"

Magnus pretended to think before looking back at Alec with equal mischief. "Beautiful."

Alec snorted. "I don't have a doubt about that." Alec took in Magnus' resilience and resigned to not knowing it for another day. "Tomorrow isn't going to be like any shadowhunter wedding."

"Duh," Magnus couldn't held but say. Alec ignored him.

"You'll have to draw the wedding rune on me with a wedding stele on my wrist and chest. But don't worry," Alec rushed in when he saw Magnus about to voice a technical doubt. "The stele you will hold is specially forged for you so that it doesn't retract away from you. Sounds good?"

"Sounds better than good," Magnus mumbled sarcastically. Alec gave him an unimpressed look this time, but the hints of laughter were present in his eyes.

"Have you practiced how to draw the wedding rune?" Alec asked.

Magnus nodded like a diligent student would. Someone had taught Clary how to draw it and in turn, she taught him as well. Magnus was pretty good with artwork , gaining the hobby when he was young. So he figured how to draw the rune fairly quickly. However, he kept practicing it in fear of messing it up. It came to point he had begun to doodle it in his free time, imagining it being implanted on Alec's wrist (he didn't about the chest thing but he _absolutely_ didn't mind)

"If I turn you into a pony by mistake at our wedding, don't blame me," Magnus teased.  Alec chuckled.

"Well Max would definitely love me more if that happened," he replied lightheartedly. Magnus laughed at that before his eyes caught something.

It was a radio.

And honestly, why was he even surprised at the presence of it in the home of an old-fashioned society's members?

"Why do you have that?" Magnus asked, getting up from his seat and walking up to the radio with interest. "The Institute is not an old aged home yet." He began to examine the device, noting all the buttons and functions.

"It has an USB port," Alec weakly defended the shadowhunters' choice. However, he sounded perplexed as well at the sight of it in a bar under the Institute.

Magnus rolled his eyes. "Like that makes a difference," he scoffed, still peering at the old machine. "I wonder if this has a CD in it or something."

Alec scoffed back, "I doubt it."

Magnus gave an exasperated look to Alec before fiddling again with the radio.  The cold feel of the radio's skin against his own felt strangely pleasing. It also told him how no one had bothered to use for some time. He played with the buttons once more, trying to figure how to switch it on, when sudden dim lights played on its screen, declaring that it is finally on.

The radio made some loud clacking noises, before making one final one and then...

...music.

Really good music.

Really familiar too.

"Oh!" Magnus exclaimed in excitement. He looked back to Alec, "This is one of my favorite songs!"

**_I've been meaning to tell you_ ** ****__  
I've got this feelin' that won't subside  
I look at you and I fantasize 

Magnus began to rotate his hips at the first sound of lyrics. He knew them by heart and was pleased at how eager he felt to dance all of a sudden.

He moved slowly backwards, nodding to the music with rhythm.

**_You're mine and tonight_ ** **_  
Now I've got you in my sights_ **

He closed his eyes but let a smile play on his lips. He raised his hands and ran it through his hair, not caring about whether he messes it's stylish coronation.

His hands slowly slid down to his neck, shifting the muscles in his abdomen to make his hip movements even more fluid and deliberate.  The chorus was his favorite part.

 ** _With these hungry eyes_** **** __  
One look at you and I can't disguise  
I've got hungry eyes  
I feel the magic between you and I

Magnus found himself to be mouthing the words, exaggerating his lips to mimic the loudness  and high pitch. At  'I've got hungry eyes' second time, he twirled to face Alec, his legs not straying to further apart nor stiffly moving in small steps. His hips continue their seductive swaying to the beat, when his eyes fell on Alec.

Alec was clearly staring at his...lower regions before he had turned because it took some time for him to shift his eyes to Magnus' own. Magnus shook his shoulders in teasing.

**_I want to hold you so hear me out_ ** **_  
I want to show you what love's all about_ **

He began to point at Alec with his index finger. It was a serenade of sorts. Alec looked like he didn't know whether to swallow or laugh at Magnus' tease.

Magnus ran his hands down to his chest and then to on his hips, accentuating their movements, before he criss-crossed them, putting the left hand on his right shoulder and the right hand on his left. Alec looked like he was about to faint at the provocation.

  ** _Darling tonight_** ** _  
Now I've got you in my sights_**

Magnus went for the hunt. He prowled towards the doe-eyed and flushed shadowhunter. Alec shifted slightly in his seat but refused to take his eyes off Magnus. If Magnus could be a bit in his own head, it looked like Alec was enamored by him.

The music had flooded the room, no doubting cloaking Alec like it's done to Magnus. The warlock now stood respectfully in front of Alec and moved with fluidity and memory.

 ** _With these hungry eyes_** **** __  
One look at you and I can't disguise  
I've got hungry eyes  
I feel the magic between you and I

Magnus turned away again, moving his ass in front of Alec now. He heard a breath hitch from behind him and felt pleased to hear that Alec was affected as well. Cool, but pleasurable beads of perspiration formed on his forehead.

He raised one hand again to his hair, combing through it and feeling the texture of his own hair. He outstretched his other hand before waving it back to himself, timing it with his hips.  Magnus saw in the reflection from the glass of the cabinets full of drinks that Alec looked wide-eyed and open-mouthed. His fingers seemed to twitch now and then. Magnus decided to take pity on him.

**_With these hungry eyes_ ** **_  
Now I've got you in my sights_ **

He turned gracefully on his toes to face Alec once again. The boy was flushed and heavily breathing. Magnus cooed at the sight in his mind, stretching his hand towards the shivering shadowhunter, shimmying his shoulders in suggestion.

 ** _With these hungry eyes_** **** __  
Now did I take you by surprise  
  


Alec looked conflicted at whether he should accept Magnus' silent proposal or shake his head. However, he gave up the mental battle and placed his hand in Magnus', but didn't get up from his seat at the first tug of the hand, clearly transfixed by the  way he was being looked at.

Magnus cocked his head to the side and gave another tug. This time, Alec got the clue and jumped up in anticipation, his eyes settling on Magnus.

Magnus pulled Alec a little more close so that they were chest to chest, making Alec bowing his head more than usual to maintain eye contact. He rested his hands on Magnus waist, feeling the hard muscle underneath the shirt and swooning. Magnus sent him a cheeky look before passing his own arms under Alec's to rest on the back of his shoulders.

**_I need you to see_ ** **_  
This love was meant to be_ **

Magnus could feel Alec's lips merely inches away from his nose, feeling small tufts if breath hitting it.  He kept moving his hips against Alec's, trying to manipulate the shadowhunter to do the same. Alec's movement were a bit out of rhythm before Magnus pressed himself even more firmly against Alec, controlling the out-of-control movements even more.

When the instrumental part came on, Alec had found the rhythm and was moving the way Magnus wanted  him to. Magnus felt a certain...part and tipped his head back, exposing his slender neck to Alec. This time, his nose wasn't  receiving the tufts of breath but rather his neck.

 ** _I've got hungry eyes_** **** __  
One look at you and I can't disguise  
I've got hungry eyes  
I feel the magic between you and I

Magnus began to shiver at the feeling of proximity with Alec. He had to gain control of the situation. Alec's was taking over all his senses. The feel of his body, the sight of him losing control, the sound of his breathing, the intoxicating smell of him... only taste was missing.

Magnus shook his head and removed his hands from the original position to make Alec turn around. The shadowhunter turned, complying fairly quickly. Magnus had been beginning to get intoxicated by the mere _feel_ of Alec. He turned him so that he couldn't hear his breath nor see the beautiful face.

But when he felt the feel of Alec's hard back against his chest, Magnus almost fell apart. He could feel his nipples feeling the heat of Alec's back and was beginning to lost sight. He buried his head into the crook of Alec's neck, breathing him in.

**_I've got hungry eyes_ ** **_  
Now I've got you in my sights_ **

Their hips movements were still continuing, in their own zone of the music. The cheerful and up-lifting sounds of the song were engulfing the dancing pair like a thick blanket, making them warm. Or maybe it was the feel of each other.

Magnus lips touched the side of Alec' neck where the rune was present. His neck was so _soft,_ even with presence of the harsh rune. Alec bucked slightly against Magnus but gathered himself quickly, turning again to face the warlock once again.

 ** _With the hungry eyes_** **** __  
Now did I take you by surprise?  
With my hungry eyes  
With my hungry eyes

Alec' hands began to alternately caress Magnus's sides and lower back, each alternate time moving lower and _lower_. Magnus breathed harshly, blowing air against the area right below Alec's lower lip. Alec, in response, trembled his lips, seeming desperate.

Magnus was beginning to notice how tightly fit their hips were and how seductively they were collectively moving with the song.

The song was slowly proceeding to its end. And Magnus knew, _he just knew_ , that he was going to miss the feeling of Alec's body against his. He knew that in the morning Alec would come to his senses and regret their dance. He closed his eyes tightly, already imagining Alec not meeting his eyes at their own wedding.

Magnus made his decision to at least brace in the hue of his fiancé's eyes _now_.  He opened them to see the shadowhunter staring at him in awe, curiosity and...

**_Now I've got you in my sights_ ** **_  
With my hungry eyes_ **

The ending of the song is a very quiet one, the melody reducing its pitch to the point of fading away. Fading away with the moment. But the two men had stopped moving the moment the music became low, thought they remained as close as they were dancing.

Magnus couldn't bring himself to look away from Alec's eyes. And it looked like the shadowhunter couldn't do the same as well. They kept staring and staring. Magnus had begun to feel like he was being drowned in the silk-like texture of color hazel. He felt himself trying to keep above the surface, but his body betrayed his wish and relaxed in the gravity of the emotion in a pair of hazel eyes.

Magnus' knees buckled but that didn't stop him from looking away. His heart began to beat even more faster though, when he felt Alec's hands on his waist, steadying him. This time, Alec's expression turned into one of alarm.

"Magnus?" Fuck. Fuck. _Fuck_. Magnus should've known how Alec's hoarse voice sounded like. This was not fair for his soul. Oh, fuck.

Magnus swallowed thickly. "I want to go back to my room," he replied with problem to his throat. Alec loosened his grip on him but still refused to let go completely. "Please," his voice choked.

Alec studied his face for a while before nodding. "Okay, I'll take you."

 _No_ , Magnus silently thought _, please no, you'll make it worse_. But he still found himself saying "Alright."

Alec rested his arm around Magnus' waist, as if trying to lend support and raise him up at the same time. Magnus retaliated by putting one arm around Alec's waist as well, and curling the other hand towards himself.

Magnus found his steps to be affected by gravity more than usual; each step being done by more force than the one before. Alec was alternating from giving him concerned looks and regarding the direction they were heading in. Magnus heard the sound of his foot against the metal of the staircase extremely loud in his ear. It seemed that the radio had only one song in it for it stopped playing immediately. Or, he didn't notice Alec switching it off.

Magnus was worried to be seen by anyone when they finally had reached the hallways. He didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea of him being led around by his fiancé in the dead of night when no one is working in the Ops center. His feet felt mush by the feeling of the soft carpet under his shoes. The sound was not resounding in his ear anymore, but his balance was definitely disturbed.

Alec's fingers caressed Magnus' side, as if unconsciously giving comfort and encouragement to Magnus to walk properly, except it did the complete opposite. Magnus was feeling more and morew dizzy with time. He wondered whether it was due to the alcohol he had just drunk or because of that... _steamy_ session with Alec.

Either way, Magnus was beginning to feel the time to reach his room had expanded. Did it take this much time for him to come to the bar with Jace? He groggily thought.

The King refused to meet Alec's eyes. Though he was feeling a bit woozy, he was also feeling ashamed.

Magnus couldn't believe he let his guard down so easily with Alec back there. He is a King. He has millions of subjects that he is responsible for. He couldn't indulge himself in his weaknesses and distractions.  He berated himself half-heartedly in his head for getting carried away. He promised himself to become the unrevealing version of himself tomorrow when he is in his right mind.

He felt like vomiting all over the prestigiously designed carpet of the Institute when a flash of a memory of their dance came back to him. _How could've he been so stupid_?

"Magnus," Alec's quiet voice spoke closely to his ear. Magnus, whose head was hanging low, raised it up to look into the eyes of the shadowhunter. Bad move, he was feeling dizzy again. "We're here."

Magnus lifted his head again to see that he indeed was in front of his room. He let go of Alec, as if he had been burned, and feel upon the doorknob of his room, holding it rightly between his hands. He did it so suddenly, he wouldn't be surprised if Alec looked offended at him right now. However, when he turned, he saw from the corner of his eyes that Alec just looked more concerned. Damn the boy's virtues, he cursed.

"Thank you," Magnus rasped. With that, he opened the door with a wide swing and walked in, closing it with enough force for it to not make a 'SlAM' sound. He didn't want any other shadowhunter to wake up, walk outside and wonder why Alec was lingering in the hallways where his fiancé's room was located.

He leaned heavily against his door, feeling the hard wood digging into his back. He could somehow hear the heavy breathing of Alec right outside the door. He closed his eyes firmly, trying to ignore the aura of confusion coming from outside. But he found it hard.

Eventually, Alec walked away, leaving Magnus to his thoughts and self-anger.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twitter- [Twitter](https://twitter.com/annplanet8)  
> Tumblr-[Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/justpresent)  
> Anwyays you guys can contact me on those two sites now  
> I also post memes on twitter and challenge Isaiah Mustafa  
> Also what do you think about this chapter?  
> I know it's abrupt compared to the other chapters but I already stated the reason why above  
> Anways, enjoy your day1  
> ~Ann


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I don't have much to say or any excuses as to why this chapter came out a bit late... actually I do have excuses but like I just want this to be out there now. In my opinion, I like the chapter a lot while reading it but while beta-reading it, I kind of went ????. Well perks of being an insecure writer XD  
> Anyways, I guess this is it  
> On board with the chapter!

 

Magnus eyes opened with without warning, which may have been a bad idea as his eyes were immediately flooded with the cool, fresh morning air and bright sunlight, the kind that wakes you up completely and makes everything seem optimistic.

However, Magnus didn't want to wake up. He wanted to lay in his bed and never get up from it. He wanted to miss his own wedding. The whole bright, and freshening atmosphere in his room was making him sick. Soon his ears began to hear the typical condescending voice.

"Wake up, chubs," Ragnor's General voice bounced from the walls of the room, adding onto the overwhelming of Magnus' senses. Even the birds' singing annoyed Magnus. He buried his face into his pillow and grumbled incoherently.

"Wakey wakey, time to see your husband-y," Ragnor sang sarcastically. Magnus groaned into his pillow even more before taking out his arm from the covers to flip Ragnor off. The horned warlock scoffed.

"It seems the King has been replaced by a sloth," Ragnor said haughtily. "Let's look for him shall we."

Before Magnus could react, he felt fingers clutching the covers around his calves and then it was being pulled off of him rudely. Magnus was horrifyingly exposed in just his plain light blue boxers. The cold wind that made Magnus' eyes tear up earlier, began to bite at various spots of his body, emitting his reaction of Goosebumps.

Ragnor was looking at Magnus an unimpressed look on his face; his one eyebrow raised up and lips wrinkled impassively. "A little disappointed in your choice of clothing for sleeping. How would your would-be-husband feel when he sees you in this?"

"He wouldn't be seeing me like this," Magnus snapped, not able to think of a smarter comeback. Ragnor _had_ to put the idea of Alec and him sleeping on the same bed as husbands.  As if the emphasis was not laid out by the wedding that _was going to occur in few hours_.

Magnus leaped up from his bed, and began to search for his robe aggressively. Ragnor had went quiet, observing Magnus distracting himself with the simple task. The King could hear the General making rustling noises with the covers, indicating he was trying to fold them up. Magnus found his robe lying on the floor behind a chair, and grabbed it with unnecessary force and flair. He didn't need to look back to see Ragnor rolling his eyes.

Magnus shoved one arm into the sleeve of the robe and then did the same for the other. He tied the belt around his waist hastily, tightening it a little too much. When he turned around, he saw that his window's curtains were pulled aside and the glass left opened, letting in the nature's agents to greet him with its innocent calling.

Seeing the way the sun was blending and touching the dull interiors of his room, Magnus got the sudden itch to sit down have his weekly painting session with Clary. He tried to store the memory in his brain so that he could re-create it with her once he goes back.

_Once he goes back_.

Those very words made him feel a lot more relaxed. The wedding would just happen for a few hours, then he'll spend another night at the Institute for the reception and then would be on his way home. Magnus didn't like that was far from his work either. Although, he did need a break from it, now, he wants to bury himself in it. That was what he was aware of when he had become the King of the Downworld.

Of course, you could blame it on his innocent mind back then that he didn't know that sometimes leaders had to secure alliances through permanent ties. Matrimonial ties more like it.

Magnus stared at the window, unaware that Ragnor was staring at him with concealed concern. "You should eat something," Ragnor stated. Magnus blinked his eyes several times before focusing it back onto Ragnor. He sighed and nodded, but looked around the room to see no tray of food set.

"Oh, you wouldn't be eating here. You'll be eating in the dressing room," Ragnor clarified. Magnus gave a perplexed look.

"What? Why?" Magnus questioned, thinking he still had time to get dressed. Ragnor ignored him at first for the sake of searching something in the room.

"Apparently the shadowhunters love to do things early," Ragnor grumbled. Magnus realized that he wasn't the only one who was upset by the early wakening. He hopes that Luke was the one who woke him up in a more ruthless manner.

Ragnor was now flying through the room, peering his nose in every corner. Magnus frustration showed when he asked "What the hell are you doing?"

Ragnor didn't look into his eyes, but rather continued his vigorous investigation. "Searching  for something to cover your face. It's bad luck for groom to see his groom before the wedding. And Alec has been pacing everywhere in the Institute to make sure everything is set for the ceremony." He turned to Magnus and stared straight into his eyes, as if inspecting something. "Maybe just a simple towel would do."

"Or we could portal to the room," Magnus dryly suggested.

Ragnor halted in his movements and slowly turned to Magnus on his heel. His lips were pouting and his eyes apprehensive. "Now why didn't I think of that."

Magnus rolled his eyes. "Because your horns have penetrated through your brain from the inside."

Ragnor cast a sharp look to Magnus. He moved away and faced the blank wall opposite to the bed. He moved his hands in a circular motion, drawing the portal into existence with a flourish of mystical gold and green.

The General stepped aside to let the King walk through. Magnus stood and stared at the swirling lines in the portal. He crossed his arms and tugged on his sleeves nervously. He finally stood up straight, gaining his head back from his doubts, and walked straight into the portal, feeling its soft swirls touch him in greeting and warning.

The sight that greeted him was a large room, with a wide dresser and different forms of cabinets stacked against the walls. The room was large for it to be called a dressing room, but not big enough to fit  a bed here. He saw his suit tightly packed in a mesh cover, hanging in the back of the room. He saw Clary and Izzy dressed in fluffy black bathrobes, their hairs all set up in intricate buns and braids. They were giggling to each other over a joke, sounding very aloof and tempting to Magnus to join in.

Clary's eyes landed on him in pleasant surprise. "Magnus!" She exclaimed enthusiastically, jumping up and skipping to Magnus to wrap in a tight hug, with all the might her tiny arms could offer. She pulled away when she was done with her share of snuggling. "I took a peek of your suit and I have to say, the choice is going to make everyone faint," she gushed. Izzy was softly smiling at Magnus in the back, concealing her concern by sweeping her gaze all over his face.

Magnus finished his glance at the red-lipped girl before showing his attention to Clary by giving a forced smile. "In a good way or in a bad way?" he joked, praying that Clary doesn't worry herself all over him.

Clary pretended to think. "From one extreme to the next extreme, and all the gray areas in between," she answered with a twinkle in her eye. This time, Magnus gave a real smile. The proverb was made by him and Clary when they were younger. They always said it to each other whenever they couldn't figure out the magnitude of a decision. He has to admit, the inside joke definitely eased him up more.

Izzy walked up to him. "Hey, your breakfast is right here." She pointed at a decent sized plate on dresser, along with different makeup tools and hairsprays. "Eat up. It's going to take some time for me to dress you up enough to make Alec faint in his own wedding." She tugged at his hand to pull him towards the small stool in front of the dresser.

As Magnus advanced the wide array of colors that were about to be used on him, he heard Ragnor scoff from the back, "As if he won't faint even when he _isn't_ dressed up."

~~  ~~  ~~

"Alec, I really think the all the arrangements are being taken care of the Clave," Jace said, trying to comfort Alec. "Stop running around. You don't even run this much when we're hunting demons."

Alec was currently walking down the hallway where the guests would be streaming through to see the wedding. His laser sharp eyes were studying the details of every petal of every flower arranged in impressive wreaths decorated at equally impressive lengths in the halls. Usually, he won't be bothered by every single of them, but maybe he was unintentionally doing all of it to ground himself from a nervous breakdown.

He continued his stride, ignoring Jace in his promptitude. "I don't want any of the downworlders or shadowhunters to get bothered by the flowers," he blurted dismissively. "The last thing I would want is one of them having to get up in the middle of the ceremony and having some type of a macho showdown all because of a petal-"

"I don't think they would react to it as much as you're overreacting right now," Jace needled, brining Alec to a complete halt and then a roundabout.

"I'm not overreacting!" he said out loud, enough to attract the attention of the people arranging seats and decorations. However, the moment only lasted for a few seconds before everyone focused on what they were doing.

Alec realized the way he proved Jace's point and looked down in anger. "Wow, you just convinced me with that," Jace deadpanned.  Alec rolled his eyes and began to walk away yet again. But this time, Jace didn't follow, maybe finally getting the hint that what Alec actually needed was some alone time. "Don't go to the hallway where Izzy's room is! Magnus is getting ready there!" Jace yelled from where he was standing as Alec went further and further away until he was out of the room.

Alec heeded the advice but showed no response. He brisk walked to the OPs center, where the sound of work was still persisting. The moment he was about to walk in, he realized something. People were going to bombard him with well wishes and sweet words which he wasn't looking forward too. He made his decision finally to walk to Lydia's room, who would no doubt know what he would mentally need.

Lydia's room was somewhat like his. Not as big as Isabelle's or Jace's, but sufficiently sized with  comparatively plain beds to other two. Lydia and him shared the same opinion on what is necessarily needed and to not go overboard with the simple amenities of life. But Isabelle called the opinion as the 'boring' and not 'daring'. Alec just stared deep into her eyes in a silent way of saying 'that's the point'.

When he reached Lydia's room, the blonde girl was standing by her bed on her phone with her in her hands, and a frown etched on her face. Her outfit was laid on the bed in the same authority as the girl did in her day to day life. Alec didn't pay much attention to the dress, just mentally noting that it's deep green in color, and tapped shyly at the door to alert her of his presence.

Lydia looked up in puzzlement, her face soon showing the signs of pleasant surprise and then one of pity. This is why Alec was very fond of her. She always somehow knew what he was feeling and thinking at his lowest of times. The same way he could figure her out with the same rapidity and accuracy.

She was wearing a dark blue jogger suit with hints of perspiration on her forehead. She must've gone for an early morning run. "Alec," she called him from her side of the bed. "Come in!"

Alec gave her a tight-lipped smile before sheepishly walking in, closing the door behind him silently. "Hey Lydia," he greeted quietly.

Lydia raised her eyebrows in greeting as well. She dropped her phone on to the bed to keep her hands free enough to wrap them around herself. She rubbed her arms together as if holding herself back. Alec could see that she was struggling to keep something inside of her.

"So," she began, with a faux loud chirp in her voice. "You're wedding is today, huh?"

Alec looked at her awkward posture and felt it radiating it to him. He knew the conversation she wanted to have with him, and he had completely forgotten to have it with her sooner. Now, he regretted that because he wasn't ready to have it. He crossed his arms mirroring her, unaware of how similar they were until that moment.

"Yeah," he awkwardly replied. Maybe it was a bad idea coming to Lydia. "It's today," he breathed out.

The air in the room was heavy, warning of the past that should've been made into the future. And then Magnus Bane came along. Lydia was no longer staring at him, opting her haze towards the bed, unconsciously studying the details of her dress. Alec was staring at the ground, replaying the moment that had occurred between them a while ago. A month ago, to be exact.

Alec decided to break the tension. "Lydia, I'm sorry I didn't live up to my vow to marry you."

Lydia looked up at him again. Her blue eyes didn't show hurt but rather unsettlement. "You don't have to explain. We didn't know that this was going to happen."

Alec shook his head at Lydia missing the point. He walked slowly towards her, his height towering over her once he stopped. "No, I have to," he said with conviction. "I promised to you that I would marry you in order to get the Institute to us. I promised you to bring our dream to our own hands-"

Lydia's short laugh cut him off. Alec was confused but noticed that there was no heat behind the laugh. "Alec, no offense, but, being the head of the Institute was not a dream for me but rather just an obstacle I had wanted to tackle." She shook her head when Alec tried to interrupt her. "It was _your_ dream. Alec, you don't have to worry about me." She took hold of his arm with her fair hand. "I'm more worried about _you_. You're being sent away to a place that you have no idea of. You're dream is being snatched away from _you_ ," she paused with a heavy breath.

" _You're being given away from your family_." She shook her head, looking into his eyes. Alec's breath was being caught in his throat repeatedly in his throat. "That thing is so much more tougher than a promise being broken to me which I was feeling quite frankly, unnerved to be in."

Alec looked at her, confused. "Wait, you never wanted to-"

"No, Alec," she said sharply, wanting him to get the point. "I didn't want to marry you. I knew from the beginning when you approached me about it that it wasn't the best for us. You were asking me to do something without thinking clearly. Honestly, look at me and tell me how you would've felt in a relationship with me. Even if it was a fake one," Lydia demanded, walking a little back to present herself to him.

Alec studied her dubiously  for a second, then slowly begging to understand the point she was trying to convey. "It would've felt wrong," he relented sheepishly.

Lydia gave a small smile. "Alec, I'm not saying that you were forcing me to do something that felt wrong. It's partly my fault as well for going at it as well." She looked to the ground next Alec's feet. "I thought that I wouldn't find love anyways, and what bad could come from marrying your best friend?" She lifted her eyes once again to stare into Alec. "But being given some time, I realized I was doing wrong by making you do something that was untrue towards yourself. And honestly," her voice cracked. "I should be the one saying sorry." Her eyes began to swell with tears.

"Hey, no," Alec crooned, pulling  Lydia into his arms in comfort when she began to sniff and sob. "In hindsight, I took you by surprise. How could've you thought all of _that_ in just the five seconds I had confronted you in-Lydia, look at me, we both were going in the wrong direction with _this_. Now we're on the right path, right?" He rubbed her back soothingly, trying to stop her shoulders shake with the timed sobs. He was glad to feel Lydia easing up in his arms. He hated seeing someone as strong as her cry. Lord knows what he had done whenever Isabelle cried in her youth.

Lydia took one final sniff before pulling away from his, rubbing her eyes. She then gave a watery smile, "Yeah, you more than me," she said with a teasing smile. Alec's own comforting smile slipped into a frown.

"What?" He asked blankly. Lydia looked at him as if what she was trying to imply was the most obvious thing in the world. He suddenly remembered the time Izzy and Lydia has slapped in the head for being oblivious to a cute guy's flirting when they went to a club a while ago. And now, whenever he felt that he was missing some sort of a point, he could feel the twin slaps on the back of his head.

"Alec, _please_ , I've read books," Lydia said in an unconvincing tone. Alec felt more blank than ever.   
"What? Are you telling me that you're not attracted to Magnus-who is one of the most handsome men I've ever met-even one bit?"

Alec felt a small platonic irritation rising within him, giving a smile that showed it, "Careful Lydia, I'm the one he's marrying," he joked. Lydia rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, lucky you," she huffed. "But seriously Alec, aren't you going to even try making it work a bit?" she asked with gravity. "You're clearly fascinated by him. And from the way Magnus has been around you in the past few days, he is too. You're just going to be by his side, as what then?"

Alec became serious. He did think of that in the past few nights. "What are you saying, Lydia? I'll be his husband," he tried to deflect. He trusted Lydia, but he wasn't inclined to talk to her about the whole prospect in detail.

Lydia's eyes went dubious. "As a loving husband or as the husband you would've been to me if we had gotten married?" she questioned further, clearly not giving up.

"This is just a professional relationship," he finally snapped. "Neither of us want anything more." Alec felt that he slightly went too far with his point for his voice did become higher than usual. Something he should not have done with someone who was just crying a few seconds ago.

But Lydia, in response, giggled. Her eyes showed no sign of taking whatever Alec had just said seriously. "Well, good luck with that! Since I'm your friend, I'm going to stick by you and see how that changes," she snorted.

Alec blinked at her, his one eye scrunching up in incredulity.  Why was she adamant that his feelings would Magnus go above that? Sure, he was attracted to Magnus. But honestly, who wasn't? He was just admitting to that fact. That sure doesn't mean that what he and Magnus already have would go beyond that.

_But what about last night?_

Alec's mind was flooded with color. He remembered the music that was playing, swearing that it was somehow playing at that very moment in Lydia's room. He visualized a playful, dancing Magnus in front on him and how much he _longed_ to just _hold_ him. And when he did, he remembered the soft feeling of Magnus' muscles. He has wondered the how the texture and feel of his skin would've been like. If the dance has gone further, he'd probably have found out, judging from the lack of self-control he had last night.

"Alec, we have to start getting you ready," a voice called behind him. He was so enraptured by the memory Magnus that he hadn't heard Lydia's door being opened. He realized he was still staring at Lydia with his incredulous look, and she matched it by giving a smug, knowing look back. He was unintentionally having a staring contest with her.

"Yeah, I'll be there in a sec," Alec called back, turning his head enough to show acknowledgement but not enough to see the face of the person. When he turned back to Lydia, her smug expression morphed to and even more smug one with the addition of a smirk to it.

"Go, get married, Lightwood," she prodded, her eyes pointing to the door.

Alec gave one long sigh before leaving the room  to Lydia's sniggers.

~~  ~~  ~~

 "How did you sleep last night?" Clary asked, dabbing the make-up sponge on various spots on Magnus' face. He scrunched up his nose when she nearly missed and almost dabbed the foundation into his eyes.

"I slept alright," Magnus casually answered. Which is the truth. The drink he had with Alec was enough to knock him right off before he could lay awake all night and over-think of what happened between Alec and him in the bachelor party. He peeked at himself in the mirror to see if there were any presence of dark circles as a reason for Clary to ask that out of the blue question.

Clary hummed slightly, which sounded a little sinister. "Really? So nothing happened last night?" she urged, her motive slowly showing on her grinning face.

Magnus opened one eye to stare at her suspiciously. He heard a giggle from his other side and saw it was from Izzy who was trying to conceal a know-it-all smile. His mind began to race at how they could've found out about last night.

"Jace told Izzy that you spent the night before your wedding with Alec," Clary revealed, her fingers now dabbing lightly across Magnus' face to set the foundation in.

"Nothing happened, Biscuit," Magnus said to put a stop to the two girls' giggles, although his own face had become red and his lips were stretched into a shy smirk.

"My brother was pretty out of it last night," Izzy spoke, setting all the hair products on the dresser to apply on Magnus. "He knocked on my door accidentally last night and when I answered it, he just stared at me blankly and then walked away, muttering 'wrong room'."

Clary met Magnus' eyes in the mirror, her face showing no sign of mercy. "We drank a little together," Magnus weakly defended his actions last night.

"Okay, okay, okay," Izzy said with her hands raised in surrender. "I could make you drink again tonight and get you both to reveal what happened."

"There's nothing to tell," Magnus protested, his mouth being muffled shut when Clary began to rub a lip scrub on his lips. Izzy gave a scoff to show her disbelief.

"You're telling me that you, and Alec, did nothing out of the ordinary, yesterday?" Izzy retorted. Magnus gave a helpless nod, realizing that he is under the mercy of two relentless, stubborn girls.

"Hard to believe," Clary muttered when she bent down to take something out from the drawer. "The two people with the most sexual tension did nothing when they were left alone near a bar," she spoke lowly and quickly. Magnus glared at her, the gist of what she had just said reaching his ears.

"What do you want to do for your hair, Manus?" Izzy asked quickly, coming to Clary's rescue. The stretched moment of question vanished just like that, distracting Magnus into the train of thought about his hair, although, he did notice Clary mouthing a small 'thanks' to Izzy in the mirror.

Magnus fiddled with the strands of hair falling on his face, realizing that he was waken up so spontaneously that he hadn't styled his hair in the usual way.  He studied the way it was resting on his face, some of the tips even daring enough to touch the upper eyelid. His mind raced with colors and imagination.

"Do you have some golden hair dye?" Magnus finally asked. Izzy, who was looking down into a drawer for something, looked up at the same time with Clary, who was studying his hair as well. The two girls met Magnus' eyes in the mirror in a startled look before meeting each other's with a slow grin forming on their pretty faces. Looks like they were on board with the plan as much as Magnus was.

Izzy skipped to a small cabinet rested at the far back of the room, fiddling through one shelf with determination. When she found what she was looking for, she walked back with something in her hand. She showed it to Magnus and Clary, matching her squeals to theirs.

"How do you want it to be applied?" Izzy gushed excitedly. This time, Magnus knew how to answer that question without a thought.

He fiddled with the tips of the hair that were on his face. "Just want to highlight these pesky things," Magnus said, releasing the strands from his fingers, blowing air upwards from his mouth to make it bounce slightly in the air before falling back on to his face.

"Alec is _so_ not going to stand a chance," Izzy squealed, grinning before getting to work. Magnus gave her a perplexed smile but decided to let the comment go. Clary was clearly contemplating something, going by the way she's biting her bottom lip in thought, her eyes widening with inspiration.

She snapped her finger once she had gotten the idea; saying a small 'aha' to emphasize her journey to the bubbling conclusion. She rummaged through the contents on the dresser and picked up a cylindrical rod, with buttons on one of its ends.

A curling iron.

Magnus screeched at the sight of it being plugged in and brought close to his face, "Biscuit, _what are you trying to do with that abomination?_ "

Clary stopped in her movements to regard Magnus in confusion. "I'm just curling your tips just a bit. It's for a dramatic effect," Clary assured, moving again. Magnus leaned so far away from her that it was a wonder why he hadn't fallen.

"I don't need _it_ ," Magnus hissed. "Last thing I would want is walking around, in _my wedding_ , with a large burn on my forehead. And besides," he said, pointing at himself in the mirror. "They're not that long. That _thing_ would be very close to my face!"

Clary frowned, "Magnus, you need to stop acting like the curling iron is Pennywise from the It."

Magnus crossed his arms in offence, "Your orange hair is reminding me of him now, actually."

Clary rolled her eyes, taking no venom from that statement. Izzy was regarding them from the back with an amused look. Although, her wistful look towards the device in Clary's arm showed that she too was perfectly okay with the idea. Which was unfortunate for Magnus. He was hoping for some support.

"Does the King want his milk bottle now?" A womanly voice called out from the doorway. Clary moved out Magnus' range of eyesight to speculate the sudden visitor.

A woman stood tall near the door. Her dark hair, straight, pulled up into a simple bun with a few spontaneous and bright clips to hold it all together. Two curled strands rested on each side of her face, framing and bringing attention to it. She was wearing a long blue dress, with gold designs on it as if she was wearing a sash. She smiling at Magnus with familiarity and warmth. Something she was special at.

Catarina Loss.

"Cat!" Magnus yelled, hopping from his chair and dashing towards her, gracefully, before he took her into his broad arms. Catarina laughed in his embrace but returned it with warmth which was on par with her smile.

Magnus, once again, felt grounded by the mere presence of a family member. Him and Catarina go a long way back. He even would say that she has become like a big sister to him. He always had felt like the older sibling (sometimes even the parent *cough* Simon *cough* Raphael). But Catarina was the mature one in his life from what he could tell. However, she was a healer, meaning her job occupies her for endless amounts of time. He used to be upset by the fact, but he had gotten used to it. Sometimes, he would assist her even (in disguise) during her milder missions. He was proud to admit, that he knew quite a bit in medicine, thanks to her.

"It's so good to see you here," he said sincerely, his eyes tightly shut and his heart absorbing the calmness radiating from the strong woman's body. She gave a deep laugh at his clinginess.

"Me too," she admitted. "I can't wait to see you stomp all these plain shadowhunters in terms of fashion."

Izzy scoffed lightheartedly  behind Magnus. "Not all shadowhunters are plain, believe me." Magnus got up from Catarina's embrace to give a smirk in Izzy's direction. It was true, Izzy was the only shadowhunter who seemed to shine among all.

Catarina didn't respond but gave a warm smile nevertheless to her. "Hi, I'm Catarina."

Izzy smiled, showing her perfectly aligned teeth. "Isabelle," she quickly introduced before adorning a helpless look. "Catarina, please help us. Magnus is refusing to let is curl the tips of his hair," she pretended to whine, a pout forming on her lips. Clary captured her motive and joined her side, pouting as well.

Magnus was surprised by the sudden change of topic. His eyes went wide, his eyebrows going almost to his hairline. He was shocked by the clever tactic that when Catarina looked at him with a scolding look, he just helplessly shrugged and blew air again from  his mouth to his hair tips on his face, making them bounce helplessly as well.

"Magnus, you let these poor girls do what they want to your hair," she commanded, throwing a small pitying look to the two girls, still pouting, but a victory look shining in their eyes.

"We won't even curl them _too_ much," Clary added. "Just a little wave."

Catarina looked back at Magnus with 'See? Nothing harmless' look. Magnus glared at the three women present in the room, before grumbling dejectedly, and walking to the chair again.

When the two girls rushed by his side again, he stuck his tongue out at Clary like the King he is. Clary stuck hers out in response.

"Now onto the color," Izzy declared wildly, the perfect shade of gold hair dye resting on her hand.

The next hour passed by with Clary applying the dye as gently as possible, and Izzy applying nail polish carefully on Magnus' hands.

Magnus refused  to say that he was feeling relaxed under their pampering and had released and occasional purr. None of the women thankfully didn't notice. Once the hair was set with the color, they moved to the curling. Magnus loved the color Izzy had chosen. It surprisingly had match the hue of suit. Not too golden with would've been blinding, but a gentle highlight that melted into his dark hair perfectly.

When Clary had begun to use the curling iron on Magnus' hair, he had shut his eyes firmly tight, his hands had clawed themselves into the arms of the chair he was sitting in. He probably even broke the Guinness World Record on holding his breath for the longest time. Once the job was done, his chest broke down to a light heave, his mouth expelling all the air collected within him. He did not need to open his eyes to know that Clary and Catarina were rolling their eyes. As if they would have loved the idea of that...heated device so close to his face that the warmth was felt on his forehead, penetrating into his sub-concious.

However, when he opened his eyes, he was surprised to see that Clary had done a good job (he earned a smack on his arm when he voiced out his initial reaction). The hair was not overtly curled, but were as softly put in a wave, forming a delicate arch of shadow on his forehead.

"You look like a King about to attend his own wedding," Catarina commented, winking at Magnus; impressed face.

"Well, I have to say that's exactly what I am and, going to do," he said, smiling brightly at the three women standing behind him through the mirror. He got up from his seat and turned around to hug Izzy and Clary. "But without these two, I don't think I would've looked half this good."

Izzy made an 'aw' sound, shifting in his embrace due to the compliment. Clary scoffed plainly. "Everyone in this room knows that is a lie."

Magnus sighed mockingly. "Can't deny that truth now, can we?"

The two girls laughed and broke the embrace to smile. Izzy touched Magnus' hair falling on his face to move it slightly, only for it to back to its previous position. "I can't believe I have such a handsome brother-in-law."

Magnus rarely blushed, but the sweet, sincere compliment from Izzy, with her eyes filled with happy tears made him red. Then the next moment, Izzy's smile vanished and she looked away. Magnus was perplexed by the sudden change in her mood. He saw a strange sketch of guilt drawn across Izzy's face, which confused him more as to why she was feeling that.

He decided not to ask, knowing that maybe the reality of the wedding of her brother's had just hit her. Clary and Catarina were speaking in hushed voices to each other, commenting on what a good job was done on Magnus.

"Would applying a little lipstick be too much?" Clary asked skeptically to Catarina. The dark-skinned woman stared at Magnus' face in thought before examining the variety of lipsticks on the dressing table.

"Maybe this light pink wouldn't be so bad," Catarina said, grabbing a lipstick with a transparent covering. Magnus noted it with idealism. When he looked up, he saw Clary looking at him expectantly. He gave an affirmative nod before sitting down once again in his chair.

"Let me put it," Izzy insisted. "Clary, could you show Catarina the suit Magnus is going to wear?"

Clary either didn't notice that Izzy's voice had suddenly become hoarse or just decided to ignore it. Magnus, however did notice it. Clary dragged Catarina to the corner of the room, gushing to her in a whisper.

Magnus stared at his own hands, worrying about Izzy. He somehow couldn't bring himself to stare into her eyes. This time, he was the one feeling guilt for making Izzy's mood change.

Izzy took the lipstick from the table and opened it, twisting it to a medium exposure.  Magnus, on instinct, tilted his head slightly for her to apply it easily. The pressure she applied with was hard, but not bruising. Magnus could already taste the fruity taste that lipsticks usually have.

After about four or five coats, Izzy retracted the lipstick from Magnus' lips so that he could examine himself in the mirror. He sat up straight and saw himself in the mirror. The shade that Catarina had chosen was perfect. It looked natural and didn't take the focus off his hair or eye make-up, and most probably won't from his suit either.

He pursed his lips slightly to settle the essence of the color firmly on his lips. When he looked up, he saw Izzy's own red ones trembling slightly. A subtle tear fell from her left eye, down her cheek, surprisingly not taking any of our make-up off.

Magnus exhaled sharply, feeling the message she was trying to send through his heart and up his spine.

" _Please_ ," Izzy whispered, her voice heavy with tears. "Please keep my brother happy. God know that he's the only person who I know that deserves happiness and love."

The speech was short and hushed. But Magnus remembered it enough to repeat it to himself mentally. He felt the inner corner of his eyes becoming sticky, hinting the fall of his own tears. He and Izzy seemed to agree on the same truth. Alec definitely deserved happiness more than anyone. More than Magnus. More than what Magnus could _give_.

" _I'll try_ ," Magnus exhaled, his breath being lost in the air in the room. Izzy gave him a sad smile before lifting a finger up and wiping away the tear on her cheek.

Clary and Catarina walked slowly back to them, holding Magnus' suit very delicately in their hands. "It's time to suit up, Magnus," Clary sung, shimmying her shoulders in excitement.

Magnus forced a smile, before he was wrapped in the golden threads and made to walk to walk into a path of no return.

~~  ~~  ~~

 "So wait," Alec said, holding one finger up as if saying 'one second'. "You don't know how to tie a bow tie, and _I_ don't know how to tie a bow tie." He threw up his hands in frustration. "So who's going to tie this-" he held up the flap of cloth. "-for _me_?"

Jace simply shrugged. "I have no clue, buddy. Should I call for Izzy?"

Alec tensed up. The last thing he needed was his sister, who was helping his soon-to-be husband dress up, to come and help him. He didn't want to blurt out the pining question within him about Magnus' outfit from Izzy.

What? It's a little unfair that he's been left completely  in the dark about Magnus' suit.

"Why can't we just go on YouTube and search on how to make one?" Max asked in a tiny voice from his spot, which was on a couch. He was all decked up, making Alec exasperated at how a child is more dressed up than he is.

"It'll take some time for one of us to master it," Alec explained, patiently, but his voice still showed a certain haste. He looked at his watch. "And dad told me to be at the altar in ten minutes."

Max gave a small 'oh' as if understanding the point. Alec gave him a small, apologetic smile. He was definitely going to miss his little brother's shenanigans. And Jace who was struggling to improvise with the tie.

" _What the hell are you doing_?" Alec hissed, snatching the tie away from Jace's rough hands before he could crumble it any further. "You can't just depend on luck to be by your side when making something like this."

Jace gave him another shrug. "Alright, man. Chill." He crossed his arms to withhold himself from snatching the tie back from Alec. The hazel-eyed man noted the twinkle in Jace's eye at the conquest he didn't know how to vanquish. He could imagine that after he leaves, Jace would stay up day and night trying to master how to tie a bow tie.

"Why is Robert calling you so early?" Jace asked. "I don't think the ceremony is for another one hour."

Alec didn't understand it either. "Maybe he just wants debrief on how I should behave in my own wedding," Alec muttered bitterly, fiddling with his tie.

Jace opened his mouth, probably  to ask Alec more on the topic of their parents, but at that moment, the door to his office where he was getting ready, opened unannounced. "Hey Magnus, I-" a optimistic voice called out. It was a man with a pale complexion, styled up hair (though the gel didn't seem to tame it completely, showing it was rapidly put) and soft laugh lines present around his face. Alec noticed his paleness seemed a bit too extreme. He deduced that this was a vampire.

The three Lightwood boys stared at the stranger, who was confused himself. "You're not Magnus," the vampire stated, although it sounded like a question.

The vampire looked so awkward that it called out to Alec's inert awkwardness as well. "Uh, no," Alec replied stiffly. He looked around the room as if Magnus was actually there, "I don't think he's here?"

The vampire eyes darted from Jace to Alec very slowly.  He slowly leaned back from the door as if to talk to someone who wasn't in their view, but was standing in the hallway. "Hey Raphael! I think the lady that gave us directions to the groom's dressing room was wrong. There's a shadowhunter getting ready here--wait, are we even in the right wedding? How many wedding even happen in a place like _this_?" He looked back to the two gaping men inside. "No offence."

Another voice, who sounded very frustrated himself, called out too from the direction the vampire was looking to. "Aye Caramba, Simon you forgot to specify to her _which groom_. I just texted Magnus and he's on the other side of this building." Another man walked into their view, sharply dressed and equally pale as the other vampire. He took one look at Alec and Jace and sighed to Simon.

"You opened the door of the room where Magnus' fiancé is getting ready in, _idiota_ ," The man (Raphael, Alec noted was his name) chastised. And at that moment, his phone beeped. The mysterious man took once glance at his phone's lock screen before sighing and pocketing the phone back in  his pockets. "Let's go. Magnus is having problems with his tie."

The word 'tie' snapped Alec into the land of known. "Wait," he called out before Raphael could walk away with Simon. He held up his disgruntled bow tie sheepishly. "I'm having problems with my tie as well. So could you, um-" Alec was cut off by the vampire who walked fast to him and grabbed the tie from his fingers.

"The two of you are hopeless," Raphael muttered, obviously referring to both Magnus and Alec's inability to tie a tie. Alec felt slightly insulted and was about to mutter back that the mere action wasn't anything that big when Simon began to speak, "Hi! I'm Simon," he introduced himself to Jace, with bounce in his step and the biggest smile that Alec had ever seen.

Jace simply glanced at him in disdain before turning to observe Raphael wrapping the strap of the tie around Alec's neck. "Well," Simon said with an awkward laugh, retracting his hand away from Jace who didn't seem inclined to shake it nor introduce himself. "Friendly bunch you are all, aren't you?"

Everyone, including Raphael who _knew_ Simon, ignored him.

To be fair, Alec and Max were very enamored by the idea of two vampires standing in the room. Alec especially, who was standing really close to one. Raphael was way shorter than him, but he carried an aura of someone who didn't like to be messed with. His hands were graceful and accurate with the way he was fiddling with bow, his cold hands sometimes touching Alec's shirt, which in turn somehow transferred a shock of cold to Alec's skin.

Alec had never met a vampire. He knew their basic facts such as the cold touch, the speed and obviously, their thirst for blood. If this vampire claimed to know Magnus, along with Simon, Alec wondered how many other types of downworlders would attend the wedding, no doubt bringing attention to themselves from the benighted shadowhunters.

"Why are you shaking?" Raphael asked, putting in the last loop. Alec was snapped yet again, completely unaware by the fact that he was shaking in front of Raphael.

He gave a nervous smile (which truly depicted what he was feeling), "Wedding jitters," he answered simply.

Raphael have a scoff, which Alec analyzed later was out of amusement. Once the tie was secured around his neck, not too tight nor too lose, Alec gave another uneasy smile.

"See you at the wedding?" he asked. Raphael, who looked like someone who have never smiled in his entire life, gave a small smile of his own which looked of understanding nature.

"Sure," he said plainly, turning on his heel to walk out of the room with an unsettling quietness. Simon followed him too, giving one last look to Alec with two thumbs up "All the best!" he wished, before scurrying out of the room as well.

Jace let out a breath, "Well clearly they were from Magnus' side." He looked at Alec's neck. "Well, look at that. You've finally got that tie of yours done."

Max stirred from his position on the couch, getting up the next second. "They were vampires," he whispered in awe. His eyes were still glued to the door from where Raphael and Simon had entered and exited.

"Yes, they were," Alec said gently, picking up his jacket which rested on the backrest of one of the chairs. "After the ceremony, why don't you talk them? Ask them your question?"He suggested kindly.  He began to put his arms through the sleeves of the jacket. Once it was settled firmly around his body, he took in a deep breath and looked at himself in a standing mirror that one of the shadowhunters brought into his room specially.

The mirror was coincidently decorated with gold around the edges as well. The intricate patterns were highlighted with a certain degree of mass and volume to it, making the mirror look ancient and gleaming with a ceremonial glint. Unlikely enough, the ornament helped the golden  design on his jacket more striking, adding on to its air of regality.

"You look good, brother," Jace complimented, slapping his hand on Alec's shoulder.

Alec smiled at him in the mirror, silently noting at how good he _feels_. Although, he was sure that Magnus would surpass him in the attention department. Not that he minded of course, because his eyes would be glued on him too.

Yes, Alec has come to terms that he tends to stare at Magnus. A lot.

"Come on," Jace said, turning Alec to face him by using the hand resting on his shoulder. "We don't want to keep Robert waiting." He fiddled with the lapels of Alec's jacket, his eyes liking the gold design too. Alec gave a small smile, before turning his eyes to Max, who was offering his little hand to be held. The eldest Lightwood clutched it softly, and silently appraised his two brothers.

"Let's go. I have to get married."

~~  ~~  ~~

Alec felt nervous from where he stood, on the high platform. Although Jace was by his side, he still felt awkward seeing the view from up there.

High dignitaries and ambassadors from the Clave were standing and talking all around the decorated room. Alec felt uncomfortable at their disapproving stares, some given at the general ambience itself and some given to him. He couldn't help but begin to send glares at the ones who were doing it. What? They were the ones who had brought him into this. And now they think they still have the right to judge him.

Jace may have felt the tension too because he started to click his tongue every time someone sent the 'look' in their way. Alec resisted to show his annoyance, and rather concentrated on the small details in the ceremony that he has to be meticulous in. The last thing he would want is to make a mistake.

One thing he noticed was that the downworlders from Magnus' side had not arrived. Confused, he scanned the area to at least try spot one. He tried to rack his memory on how many of the downworlders Magnus had invited. Maybe a few, he concluded, Magnus was after all, a private person. A King couldn't exactly be personal with everyone and anyone.

He studied the banners hung up on the wall. All of them carried the Warlocks symbol and the Angelic rune close together, as if they would soon join together. The color, he noticed, was a startling blue which he remembered Izzy referring to as cobalt blue. At first, he hadn't paid much mind to it, but the color has a way of soothing his eyes and genuinely calmed him. He was beginning to like the color, taking in its softness and thoughtfulness.

Several wreaths colored the dull walls too, lighting them up from the old traditions. There were colors of blue and gold, the flowers touching each other softly and symbolized the union about to come. Although, Alec couldn't help but frown at two of them, which were located in the far corner of the room that was vaguely made into the shape of hearts.  He would bet his life that this was done by one of the shadowhunters who had made their disgust towards him and Magnus apparent in the last few days. He remembered the sniggers passed behind him whenever he had walked into the room. That time, he didn't care much for it. But now, he was furious and wanted to punish them.

He maintained his calm, closing his eyes and taking in a deep, cooling breath. The mint that he had just ate was definitely doing its job calming his nerves. The freshness travelled to his brain, calming his headache even. He was indebted to Max who had snuck a mint into his pocket and offered it to Alec.

The room was in a buzz. Words flew across the room, even the veiled contempt was sometimes thrown at the decorations that showed hints of the Downworld's integrity. Alec's plain glare couldn't help him from gaining the satisfaction of yelling 'Shut up and sit the fuck down' at them. His parents would officially set their heads on fire.

Speaking of parents, his were still talking to members of the Clave, completely ignoring the fact that they had called him early to debrief him.

Alec smiled bitterly. Imagine being debriefed in your own wedding as if it were a mission. A mission they had clearly forgotten in favor of kissing up to the members of the Clave.

Just as he was thinking these thoughts, Robert and Maryse simultaneously looked up to him, as if remembering their earlier intention and began to walk up to him. However, they were stopped by the booming voice calling from behind Alec.

"Everyone must sit in their seats now for the wedding is about to start."

Alec must admit, he had jumped up for he hadn't noticed the Silent Brother standing silently ( _wow, now was a great time to make that joke, good job Alec_ ) behind him. When he turned to Jace, he noticed that his parabatai was startled as well.

As if they were personally summoned through magical means, the doors of the room opened to reveal Magnus' family. A dark skinned woman, hand in hand with the excited vampire, Simon, walked in first, sharing warm smiles to all the blank stares given by the shadowhunters. Izzy walked in close behind them, laughing at something Clary was saying, who was in turn, following his sister. Raphael and Luke walked stoically behind everyone, giving a wary look to every shadowhunter that glanced in their way (actually Raphael more or less snarled).

It was odd how just the liveliness of a true family makes the people who preach about 'family honor' look like a shadow under a rock. Everyone was staring at the downworlders as if they never saw someone so happy before and disapproved of it.

Alec himself felt a smile growing on his face, just by feeling the optimism and friendliness radiated by some of them. He stared at Clary for a little too long and was fascinated at the shadowhunter with a different upbringing. He had to admit, he was envious of the fact that the girl's life was majorly spent with the mostly (from what Magnus had told him) freethinking downworlders. He wondered if he had a similar life, would he have been much more accepted and welcomed by the downworlders?

The answer was yes, he bitterly thought, as he saw Clary hide her face into Luke's shoulder to mask her uncontrollable giggle. It's not that he hated Clary though. He was just unsettled that he had never had that life. And now he was going to be a newcomer in a foreign land which would take time for people to accept him. Magnus' reassurance last night helped him slightly to calm those thoughts, but the question was still lingering in his mind.

_Maybe I'll ask Clary later what it was like_ , he faintly thought, as his mind began to drift to how Magnus was in his arms last night. The memory brought an energetic shiver run down his spine when suddenly faint music began to play.

The guest immediately flocked to their chosen seats and sat down with haste. The downworlders however took their time and sat down with grace. The music was soft, faint tunes of piano and the slow wakening of the violin and cello were taking their place as the notes went on. Alec waited impatiently, resisting the urge to even lean sideways so that he could get a peek down the hallways on either side.

The music was too beautiful for the shadowhunters' in his opinion. None of them seemed to be heeding to it nor appreciating it. They were staring at the entry for Magnus to appear. Not that no one should be eager to see the King of the Downworld in his full glory.  

Once the downworlders (and Clary and Izzy) took their seats, the audience were finally on a standstill. The doors were wide open, already anticipating the arrival of Magnus. However, the person who walked in first was Ragnor Fell.

Alec eyes went wide when he assessed the General's outfit. He had cleaned himself up pretty well, wearing a plain black tuxedo, but with a golden tie like Jace. His curly hair was gelled back, showing the two horns rising prominently from his forehead. Most the shadowhunters were pointing at it with their eyes, silently judging the self-respectful man. Ragnor gave a side smile as he walked, probably knowing all the gossip starting because of him. But instead, he seemed to wear it with pride. Alec had to smile himself to the warlock's pride. He wished he had that in him as well. Pride that is.

Ragnor walked with precision and time to soft melodic tunes, even bouncing his head slightly to it too. Catarina, Clary and Simon collectively giggled at the sight. Raphael smirked as if he would've done the same if he was in Ragnor's place. Luke rolled his eyes and seemed to be resisting the urge to face palm.

Ragnor walked up the two steps smugly, taking his place on the same alignment as Jace, on the other side. There was still a wide gap between him and Alec, which was reserved for Magnus to stand in rightfully.

Everyone held their breaths unanimously. This was the big moment. The biggest for Alec actually, it was just a mere alliance for the rest of the shadowhunters. But for Alec, this was an union of a lifetime.

Alec heard footsteps coming from the right side of the door and held his breath unthinkingly. He wondered how he was suddenly so hyper aware with his senses when Magnus Bane, the King of the Downworld, entered the room.

No word could measure the intensity of the beauty that Magnus radiated at that moment.

He was looking straight at Alec, not paying a single ounce of attention to the ogling given by the people attending. Alec's knees almost buckled when the deep brown eyes, highlighted by gold eyeliner on the bottom lid, were set upon him with respect and determination.

Magnus was wearing a very natural pink lipstick, but it sent Alec almost to the floor at how _full_ they looked. Maybe Magnus understood the reason for his wide eyes and open mouth because a hint of smirk presented itself on those very full lips.

Magnus' hair was styled like usual, except his the tips of it were flopping and curling on his forehead, dipped in gold as well. The tips were caressing his face so lightly, it was almost like it was worshipping him. There was a certain shine to his hair, emphasizing on its silkiness.

And the suit.

_The suit_.

He was wearing black pants, not as tight as the ones he usually wears, but tight enough to not give Alec a heart attack. He wore a fancy, plain white shirt with an equally plain black bow tie (tied with perfection no doubt by Raphael). The jacket he wore screamed his personality. It was chromatic gold, with the presence of intricate designs spreading everywhere on his torso. He had thin black lines around his waist and one on the right of his chest, which denoted that they were pockets. The one on the chest held a small red rose, resting proudly against him.

The jacket fitted him so snuggly that as Magnus walked, and his shoulders moved, the jacket displayed the ripples of movement defiantly. It reminded him of how Magnus was moving his shoulders last night, timing it with the movement of his lower body.

Alec felt the tears in the corners of his eyes. The whole look felt... real to him. Like Magnus was genuinely the love of his life who was going to be by his side for an eternity. His hand itched around the area where Magnus would soon burn in the wedding union onto him. He was going to marry this gorgeous man and didn't even get to take him on a date, have a relationship, talk to him about his interests, treat him with gifts... he didn't even fall in love with him.

Magnus had to briefly look down. Alec, in response, looked away briefly too, realizing that he was staring at Magnus too intensely that he made the warlock blush. Although, Alec felt his heart break even more that he couldn't do this in his own terms and pace and rather was doing this because of an arranged marriage.

Magnus finally reached the bottom of the raised platform. Alec hurried towards the ethereal soul, but tried his best to conceal his haste. He offered his palm to Magnus who looked at it in surprise before looking at Alec with the same emotion.

Alec crumbled at Magnus' wide eyed look. His eyes held so much of emotion and surprise that Alec virtually felt drowned by the soft swirls of deep, comforting brown.

Magnus placed his own palm hesitantly in Alec's, trying to accustom himself to the rough feel of the archer's hands. Alec shivered at the texture of Magnus' hand in his, the smooth skin gliding against his calloused hand. They were holding each other's hand so gently, as if they were afraid to taint each other. Alec studied the warlock hand silently, wondering how such graceful pair of palms could wield so much power and order.

Alec, with determination set in his eyes, raised the hand up to his lips. He placed a gentle kiss on the back of the tanned hand, indulging in the feel of the dainty veins against his skin. Magnus held onto his hand tighter, as if he was about to fall after that action and he needed support. Alec squeezed his hand when he removed his lips from it, already missing the heat of the skin against his suddenly sensitive lips.

His eyes felt heavy when they looked into Magnus' once more. The King was trying his best to look detached and unaffected, but his eyes and parted lips betrayed him. Then, after shaking himself slightly, he helped himself to the top of the platform with the help of Alec's hand.

Magnus eyes were downcast as if observing his own feet and ignoring Alec's eyes. Alec, in turn, didn't look away, enamored by the warlock's side profile. His hair seemed to given a certain light that everyone else seemed to lack. And Alec, whose own suit was nothing compared to Magnus, didn't feel over-shadowed even once, rather honored to be standing next to him.

" _We're here to formulate an union between Alexander Gideon Lightwood and Your Highness, Magnus Bane_ ," The silent brother gravely announced. Alec ignored it to focus on Magnus' hand which was still clutching onto his very own hand.

The tunes of the wedding picked up a slight pace; the piano eager for the main show of the day. Magnus finally turned his head to look into Alec's eyes (but Alec noticed the sharp exhale he had to make to turn). His eyes didn't look different as to the way he was looking at Alec. They shared some messages through their eyes, as if it was the most natural thing to do.

_I'm nervous._

_Me too._

_We're not making a mistake, right?_

_I don't think so._

_Let's do this._

_Let's do this._

A sad smile began to play on each of their lips. Alec turned subconsciously towards Jace, glancing at the white gold wedding bracelet resting proudly on the deep blue cushion. His parabatai presented the cushion by lifting his hands, giving Alec a more impressive, closer look at the ornament. Alec shyly appraised it, before delicately taking it with his long fingers.

The metal felt cold, untouched, in his own hand. He turned to Magnus once again, who was staring at the entire ordeal with skeptic eyes. Once he was faced again with Alec, he rose his eyes to him. He dazedly raised his wrist to Alec, exposing slight skin around his wrist, which was begging to be the home of the ornament.

Alec snugly fitted it onto Magnus' thin wrists, even coping a slight feel of the rise and fall of the heavy bracelet over his skin. Finally he lets go, allowing Magnus to do the same to him.

Magnus procured the bracelet meant for Alec and held it slightly open, waiting for the shadowhunter to offer his own hand. When he put it on Alec, the shadowhunter  nearly let his own hand fall at the heaviness of the meaning behind it.

Magnus and Alec held their hand once again, comforting each other through the innocent touch, unbeknownst to everyone. The Silent brother spoke with a blank voice this time.

" _Take the holy stele, Your Highness and mark the wedding union rune over Alec Lightwood's heart and on the hand_."

Magnus was offered a gray toned stele, which had no effect on his quivering hands once he claimed it. Alec observed him shivering at the touch of the stele, his eyes even closing slightly in consideration of its weight.

He lifted it up slightly along with Alec's wrist, which he still clutched on with his other hand. When he looked up into Alec's eyes, the shadowhunter was rendered breathless by the emotions peeking through the strong barrier presented in his brown eyes. He felt weaker compared to Magnus, for he had probably about five near crying moments. And then there is this man, who couldn't afford to that even in private. He was doing all of _this_ for the safety and welfare of his people.  In return, he was sacrificing his own freedom... his own _life_.

Alec found himself unintentionally nodding to the permission Magnus was silently asking of him. The stele finally touched the inside of his wrist, lining itself to the sensitive veins present there.

Then, Magnus began to move his hand.

There was no pain. It felt like putting any other rune on. But there was still some difference present in its gravity. Other runes felt very...mechanic. Routine. There was no thought put into when they're put on. It was also done very quickly, almost instinctively.

But this rune, was applied very slowly and carefully. The moment clearly being engraved in Alec's mind for his entire life. Partly the reason for the slowness could've been Magnus being very new in the rune process. But the other reason could be, that since he is a King, he cannot do things mindlessly or hastily. His position requires him to do his duty with mind and care. And maybe that's what Magnus was going right now, making sure that the weight of the symbol being applied on Alec does not crush him completely due to being overwhelmed by it. Alec found himself silently thanking the other man for the consideration.

Soon, it was done. But the heart remained.

His wrist tingled with an unrecognizable energy. The expectant looks from everyone alerted Alec to unbutton a part of his shirt and allow Magnus to do the same on his chest. His hands shivered, especially the one that was marked, as he brought them up to the buttons of his shirt.

One by one, he unbuttoned it. Magnus' eyes were fixed on his slightly exposed chest, out of anxiety. Alec was worried at how fast this ceremony was going by, he didn't even have time to recover from the overwhelmed energy inserted into his wrist.

Once the appropriate number of buttons were left open,  Alec let go of his shirt and indicated Magnus, with a nod of his head, to continue. Magnus shivered at the green light, but nonetheless stepped closer to Alec.

Alec's breath touched Magnus' hair like a gentle caress. The space between them was nowhere. Magnus' hand was placed gently on Alec's exposed and anticipating chest, as if to keep him still. He could feel some of the hairs on his chest shiver at the touch of his cold hand.

The way they stood was the most peculiar. Most shadowhunters who get married, wouldn't stand this close and unexposed. They would proudly show the ceremony of marking the heart as to engrave it into the minds of the audience.                

However, Magnus stood very close to him. As if shielding him... protecting him. He didn't want anyone to witness the privacy, the holiness and the sensuousness of this part. The King, who all his life had been to told to be the perfect imagine in the public eye, and probably never had a private moment with the same intensity as this with someone else, he looked damned determined to make sure no one sees this but him. And Alec understood that. He understood because it would've been something he'd do.

The warm stele touched his cold chest, bringing Alec out of his head. Soon, Magnus began to move his hand with his usual grace, as if his nervousness from before simply evaporated into thin air. He felt the movement of the warmth as a path of river, smooth and flowing. Completely inevitable.

Here was Alec Lightwood, who had never expected to marry, much less than marrying a downworld Royal, getting his chest marked with the wedded union rune by the said Royal. It was not done out of love, but out of duty. Something they both equally respect.

Finally, the process was officially done.

Magnus moved away from his husband, his breath coming out in inaudible pants. Alec figured the same must be happening to him.

There, standing in front of him, was the King of the Downworld, Magnus Bane, a powerful warlock himself. And his husband.

_His husband_.

The label itself stapled the permanency of it onto Alec's heart.

Magnus and Alec stood in front of each other, staring at the meaning in each other's eyes. Alec's ears were filled with a persisting ringing noise, and his knees were trying hard to withstand it's crumbling effects.

The Silent Brother finally communicated, his words holding the need for some assurance on what to do next. " ** _You may kiss the groom_**." His words came out ominous, but it was the only thing Alec heard clearly despite the ringing.  

If just a regular stranger were to look at Magnus and Alec, as a duo, they would most necessarily comment how different they are, and completely incompatible. But if they were to examine more closely, understand the misery and duty present in their eyes, they would know they have a lot more in common.

The desperateness to feel grounded was profound in Alec. He needed to feel that he was on the ground and not in air, where there was nothing to hold. Magnus seemed to be feeling the same situation, judging by the slight sway in his frame.

So their similarities arose, bonded themselves together as if to offer a firm ground for the two to walk on. Because just few seconds right after the Silent Brother uttered those words, the two men, took one step in unmasked hurriedness, and closed the gap between their lips.

The perfection and fluidity of their stance heightened, when Magnus sent his arms around Alec's neck and Alec's arms, out of their own volition, held Magnus firmly around his waist.

The moment their lips had touched, Magnus gasped in relief as if he finally found a ground to stand on. The shadowhunter himself, was trying hard to not show how overwhelmed he was feeling.

The anticipation of the day before, during the bachelor party, seemed to take every ounce of satisfaction from Magnus' quivering but determined lips at that moment. Alec felt his two wedded union runes soaring in familiarity and uncertainty at the same time. His breath hitched when Magnus' own chest touched the spot where the newly applied rune rested on his chest.

Alec didn't know how long they stood there. It was almost as if both the men's lips were holding each other and refusing to let go in fear of falling. They held each other to ignore everything that was going on around them, which worked fantastically.

Their lips were just clasped hard  upon each other, their noses caressing each other's cheeks with touch of their skins and their stuttering breaths.  Alec concentrated at the feel, the texture and vibrancy of the King's lips, finding himself falling drunk for it.  He gasped again against Alec's mouth, his chest hitching to gather the breath he requires, moving against the marked chest again in friction. But his lips closed again over Alec's, refusing to let of the moment. And honestly, Alec didn't mind.

The kiss went on for a few more seconds before the crashing realization of orthodox clave representatives were present and were witnessing the moment. The two men separated as if they were doused with fiercely cold water.

They faced other with shock etched upon their faces. Shocked not because they did _that_ , but because they let themselves get carried away so easily.  

Alec kept his eyes downcast while Magnus began to look boldly against the customary cheer given y everyone present there.

When Alec did look up, he was greeted by the view of Magnus' side profile, staring fiercely onwards, betraying no signs of weakness and casualties. He wished he could do the same, but unlike the King, he didn't have the training and years of mastering the easy nonchalance.

Alec couldn't look at anything, his eyes seemed to be glued upon Magnus with no shame. His heart was still racing from that kiss. His mind was still thinking about it too. He wondered whether Magnus was this affected by that moment, but it was hard to tell from the guarded front Magnus had put out right now.

Alec wondered whether he would be capable of ever letting that guard down and seeing the true soul within Magnus Bane ever again.

He shook his head to dismiss the wistful thinking in precedence to gain the same guarded frontier as his husband.

It was time for him to become the King too. 

~~  ~~  ~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twitter- [Annplanet8](https://twitter.com/annplanet8)  
> Tumblr-[Justpresent](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/justpresent)  
> Well, bet you didn't expect that kiss 0.0. (or you may have if you're coming here from my twitter and tumbr because I had posted the pic of them kissing in the moodboard. OOps  
> Well I guess, that's it folks!  
> See you in the next chapter!

**Author's Note:**

> twitter-[annplanet8](https://twitter.com/annplanet8)  
> tumblr-[justpresent](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/justpresent)  
> My accounts are given above. You can contact me if you guys want to :)


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